Lone Wolf
by LegenDarius116
Summary: Ever since becoming a Deadly Chaser, Chung had become more and more secluded from his friends. But after the battle with Ran and the betrayal that ensued, he went off the deep end and shut himself out completely. Now, determined to bring justice with his own hands, he seeks out the Dark Earl with some new weapons and techniques up his sleeve. Cover designed by LightXV15
1. Remembrance

**Chapter 1: Remembrance**

* * *

The waters covering the submerged part of Hamel churned peacefully as the afternoon sun began to set. There on the edge stood a 16 year-old boy with hair as golden as the setting sun and a cloak as dark as a murky forest in the dead of the night. It contrasted with the beautiful white stone that surrounded him. Chung stood there, the wind gently stroking his cloak, looking ruefully at the endless skies and the distant white ruins that rested below them. Hamel was his hometown, and it was also his kingdom. But disaster had fallen upon it, as the forces of darkness had caused the water level to rise. Now demons roamed most of the country, and the citadel where he stood was the last stronghold of his nation.

All of it was caused by one man who turned into a demon. His name was Ran, and the Deadly Chaser had almost caught him. Almost defeated him. Almost delivered the justice he was itching so badly to deliver.

Almost.

He closed his eyes and he remembered the fight two weeks ago.

* * *

It had been a long fight within the Water Temple. Chung and the rest of the El Search party were all worn out by the drawn-out standoff with Ran. They all stood at the heart of the temple, both sides gathering strength as they eyed each other with lethal intent.

Chung's main weapon was a cannon by the name of Destroyer, and it was sighted right onto the beast. He let out a vicious war cry as a blue light concentrated in the Destroyer's barrel.

" _Scare Chase!"_

A powerful rocket encased in magical blue light blasted its way out of the barrel at supersonic speeds, and it accelerated its way straight toward its target. But suddenly there was an orange blur near Ran, and before Chung could register it, one of his friends, Ara, swung her spear and deflected the rocket away from Ran. It made contact with the temple wall and exploded.

Chung's jaw dropped and his blue eyes locked with Ara's orange and red eyes as a feeling of shock and betrayal slowly turned his body ice cold. He stood there paralyzed, the Destroyer falling from his hands and onto the ground with a loud quake.

Ran took the chance to escape. Suddenly, adrenaline surged like lightning within his demon body. Though he was wounded, he moved as if there had never been any fight at all. His body turned into an indescribable gray blur that moved upwards towards the ceiling before disappearing in a purple mist. Ran was gone, and all that was left was Ara, Chung, and the rest of the El Search Party.

Once the events that had just happened within the span of seconds registered in his mind, he said nothing. Instead he just fell to his knees screamed himself raw. _How? Why?_ Those two questions buzzed repeatedly in his mind as he screamed at the harsh reality of his thwarted justice. He saw it, and he was so close to realizing it! But it was cut off from him by one of his dearest friends. It felt like a sharp blade had driven its pitiless steel into his back and protruded mercilessly out of his chest. His friends, the rest of the El Search Party, stood at an infinite distance from him. They stood there with their weapons down, and their faces were like stones as they saw one of their own lose himself to insanity.

Ten seconds went by.

By then all that was left to hear were the echoes of pure agony reverbing all throughout the water temple. The echoes accompanied the soft cries of Ara, who had just betrayed him. In reality, she was just protecting her brother.

Ran, whom they just fought.

She didn't want to see him die, but she wanted to somehow turn him back into the brother she once had.

Chung kept his head bowed for what seemed like another eternity before getting up from his knees. He slung his Destroyer onto his back and shot an icy cold death glare at Ara.

That glare instantly shattered her heart, and her soft cries turned into full-on sobs that dropped her onto her knees. Chung did not look back. Instead he stalked off silently into the darkness.

"Chung! Where are you going!?" exclaimed one of his friends. Elsword, a redheaded Lord Knight and Chung's best friend, was the first to break the spell of petrification that held the party in place. At the sound of his voice, Chung ran faster into the darkness, leaving behind the rest of his friends that chased after him.

However, one of them lagged behind to pick up the heartbroken Ara. Eve, the nasod queen, used her drones to fly up to the elevated platform where Ara knelt, and she knelt down beside her and draped her arm comfortingly around her back. Finally, Ara stood back up and chased after Chung. Eventually, Ara and Eve ran into the El Search party on the way out. Only Chung wasn't there.

"We searched every one of the corridors, but we couldn't find him," reported Rena. She paused, her green hair flowing slowly in the forlorn draft as she stared at Ara. It grieved her to deliver the news to one of her best friends, and that grief showed in Rena's evergreen eyes. "He's probably miles away from here by now."

Ara had no tears left. She just looked down onto the ground as dust and shadows darkened her face. Her friends consoled her as they exited the Water Temple and headed into an inn inside Hamel.

* * *

Chung remained still beside to the waters of his last city, muted by the scream he unleashed after Ara had betrayed him. He barely spoke now, as his voice had been reduced to a ghostly whisper.

The sun sank below the horizon, and the sky was taking on a darkening purple hue. Chung turned around and followed an elaborate path through a labyrinth of alleys, thoughts of confusion and guilt plaguing his mind. He found a familiar well-hidden door and went inside.

"Any intel?" He spoke softly to a man with swanky dress sitting in front of a desk cluttered with papers and other things.

"We managed to track Ran's location. He was last seen 18 hours ago near the eastern edge of Elime's Wave. Looks like he's headed for Sander, but my guess is that he's too wounded to move very fast."

"Thanks, Ciel"

Chung placed a stack of golden ED coins on the man's desk before turning around.

"You going out to chase him, Chung? It's dark already, and you seem tired."

He stopped but did not reply.

"You can rest here tonight. Room 16. You can keep it as long as you need it."

"Thanks."

Chung turned back to face Ciel, and the man placed a key on his desk next to the stack of money. A tiny red plastic tag was tied to the key which read "Rm. 16."

Chung took the key and headed into a corridor of doors. He stopped at a door labeled 16 and used the key to head inside. The room was dimly lit, but well kept. The only other light source was the moon and stars shining through a tiny window no bigger than a dish. He was impressed that a black market hideout could afford rooms as nice as these, but he didn't question it any further. He set his Destroyer in the corner and removed his cloak. His golden hair still shone brightly in the dim light, but now it was clear that he had a beautiful face marred by grief.

Beneath the cloak, Chung had on his signature white armor, the Freiturnier, and on his hip were two gigantic revolvers. His Silver Shooters. Chung removed them from their holsters and stared at them. They shone brightly in the eerie dim light as he felt their weight in his hands. He set them down on top of the dresser before removing his armor. Now Chung was just wearing a plain black T-shirt accompanied by shorts that went down to his knees but no further.

He let himself fall backwards onto the bed, and the memory foam seemed to engulf him in its comfort. He slept dreamlessly that night.


	2. Remembrance Pt II

**Chapter 2: Remembrance Pt. II**

* * *

A ray of sunlight shone through the small, dish-sized window and caressed Chung's sleeping face with its heat. The ray came suddenly, only revealing itself after a cloud moved out of its way. Chung groggily opened his eyes and sat up on the bedside. Not even bothering to put on any more clothes, he walked out the door and into the kitchen area.

The sink was completely clean, and the stove was clear of any pans. Chung's face lightened up a little when he saw a half-full coffee pot on the table. He took the handle of the pot and smelled the aroma. Colombian dark roast. It was a strong and delicious smell, and it began to wake up the drowsy prince before he even began drinking it.

Chung poured himself a hearty cup and added some creamer, sugar, and milk to top off his drink. After a quick sip, he put the mug of sweet coffee down and began to make his breakfast. It was his favorite: a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. Ara would grill him for eating this.

 _Who's Ara? I've never heard of her._

Chung quickly pushed the thought of her out of his mind and continued making breakfast. Was it hatred? Or perhaps it was the guilt of running away from her that was causing him to avoid any thoughts of her.

Ran was Ara's brother, after all. Chung remembered promising her that he would try his best to turn him back into a human. As he sat down at the table, he was unable to stop the inundation of thoughts about the girl he ran away from. All of a sudden, a tsunami of guilt washed over him, and he was swept out into a sea of loneliness by his own thoughts.

He looked down at his breakfast with forlorn eyes before shaking himself out of it. He got back up and retrieved a hero roll and some cheese to finish making breakfast.

He ate and drank thoughtlessly, staring blankly through the tiny kitchen window. Pure white clouds slowly drifted by against a deep blue canvas as a small draft gently kissed his face. He finished his breakfast and cleaned up after himself.

Chung headed back to his room. _Strange,_ he thought. _I haven't seen Ciel yet. Where is he?_

He didn't spend much time thinking about it. Instead he planned on catching up with Ran as he equipped his Freiturnier and holstered his Silver Shooters. But before walking out the door, Chung checked for his package and noticed that it had arrived. His payment to Ciel last night wasn't just for intel, but also for new weapons and supplies that he had ordered a week ago.

 _Really cut it close, but at least he's on time_ , thought Chung.

There in a long crate placed in the corner (no doubt, by Ciel) was a bolt-action sniper rifle. On the rifle below the bolt, it read "BSR-70 GODSTRYKER" in clean block letters. Chung held up the rifle, testing its weight and seeing that it was indeed light. With a full 7-round magazine, it was only twice as heavy as one of his Silver Shooters. It was also quite durable despite its mass. To top it off, the gun had a 4-27x variable zoom scope.

 _Lanox engineering…_ Chung mused. _Can't beat it._

There was another weapon within the package aside from extra magazines, other munitions, and supplies. At first it looked like a normal black armguard, but a closer inspection revealed that it was a retractable katar. Chung strapped it on to size, and it fit snugly onto his upper left forearm. The metallic dock that held the blade stopped right in the middle of the back of his hand. The sides of the dock read "VOIDFANG" in the same clean block letters found on the Godstryker. There was a switch on the side of the box, resembling a safety on a firearm. Chung flicked off the safety.

He squeezed his left hand into a fist, and suddenly a large, menacing blade shot out with lightning quickness. The blade was smooth but had razor-sharp edges, giving the appearance of a tooth that once belonged to some great beast. It had a strange beauty and elegance to it that accompanied the malevolent aura it emitted. Even when held under the sunlight, the Voidfang still retained its pitch black color, as if the blade was forged from the purest darkness that defied illumination. Chung shuddered in excitement at that thought because it was probably true. He approved of the blade; it was a perfect weapon for an assassin like him.

The Deadly Chaser was satisfied. Chung slung the sniper rifle on his back, retracted the Voidfang, and covered himself with his cloak. He also stuffed the extra munitions and supplies in various pockets in his Freiturnier. Finally, he packed his Destroyer inside of a large duffel bag and set out, armed like a tank.

He traversed through the maze of alleyways and out into the streets. The sun was only barely above the horizon; perhaps it was only 8 in the morning. Even so, Chung scorned himself by burning so much daylight, so he sprinted at full speed towards the border between the citadel and Elime's Wave. Ran was probably at Stricken City by now, making his way towards the Fountain of Healing and ultimately Sander Village.

At the edge, Chung took out a special dog whistle. It was long and slender, resembling a kazoo with three feathers on each side. Chung blew into it, but no sound could be heard.

To humans, of course.

Chung stood there in the light of the rising sun, his cloak protecting him from recognition. For a few intense seconds, nothing happened. But he smiled brightly once he heard soft footsteps pedaling on the ground. The footsteps slowed down, and in the distance Chung saw an Ice Hameling trotting towards him. The Ice Hameling is a dragon-like creature, and his light blue scales glistened like diamonds in the sun as he made his way towards his master.

Chung giggled at his cute, but fierce noble steed. It was the first time he had giggled at all in the two weeks since the betrayal. Chung rubbed the creature's head fondly, and the dragon gleefully licked his master's hand in response. Then Chung shot the Hameling a solemn look before nodding at his steed. The Hameling looked back at his master with empathetic eyes, and it seemed as if the dragon knew of the terrible trial that awaited his master. Chung saddled up his equipment and mounted the Hameling, and they took off east at lightning speed.

The whole world suddenly turned into a moving blur of blues and whites. The dragon's skin took on a darker shade of blue as he flew, looking to camouflage himself in the vast sapphire sky. Chung peered down every so often, and he beheld the ruined buildings that were once part of a greater Hamel. Each snapshot Chung took by glancing downwards broke his heart a little more.

The area was crawling with monsters. The beasts had pitch black skin, overlayed by neon green patterns. They shuffled mindlessly on the white stone, hunger for violence driving them forth. Chung wanted to fire a _Quantum Ballista_ at the whole field and cleanse his precious city of these monsters, but that would have to wait. He needed to save his strength, his mana, his ammunition, and everything else he had for the fight that lay ahead of him. Reluctantly, he decided to let the Destroyer stay in its duffel bag. He commanded the Hameling to lower their altitude as they neared Stricken City.

Upon reaching Stricken City, Chung landed softly and scanned the immediate area with wary eyes. The monsters were the slightly different from those in Elime's Wave, but there was no sign of Ran. The monsters noticed Chung and they began to shuffle towards him.

"Crap, we're too close. Siberias! Hit the ground!"

The Ice Hameling bellowed in obedience, and out of his mouth came a fierce arctic blast that struck the ground. The dark monsters were then warded off by the glacial barricade created by the Hameling.

Then Siberias took off again and remained at higher altitudes. Chung used that opportunity to scan the area with a wider field of view. But he was careful to do it quickly, because if Ran was in the vicinity, surely he would've heard Siberias's mighty roar.

From his place in the skies, Chung spotted a white dot that was moving abnormally fast in one general direction. The movement contrasted perfectly against the lethargic shuffling of the other dark monsters. He unslung the Godstryker from his back and peered down the scope at the dot. The fast-mover had completely black skin, two big horns and long, silver hair that shone like the moon. There was no doubt, this was Chung's target.

"This is it… This is the kingpin…"

Chung paused, his voice fading like a wraith. He had already pushed it by yelling out orders minutes earlier, and now his voice was near silent. So Chung tapped Siberias on the side twice with his right heel.

The dragon knew very well what that meant. So in obedience, the ice dragon performed a sharp nose dive to meet the enemy.

* * *

"Guys! Guys!" exclaimed a purple-haired girl running toward her friends.

Her name was Aisha, a master in elemental magic and part of the El Search Party. They were surveying the land in hopes of finding their lost friend. But two weeks without any signs or traces had weighed heavily in their hearts. The rest of them looked at Aisha with eyes full of weariness mingled with confusion.

"I saw a blue figure flying really quickly over Elime's Wave!" she said excitedly. "I think it's Chung and his Hameling, Siberias!"

That broke everyone's spell of despair, most notably Ara's. For the first time in what seemed to be an eternity, her face lit up with hope. She had begun to think that Chung was the other side of the world by now, and that they were never going to find him again. She remembered sighing at that thought every night, and then shaking her head and forcing herself to think positively. All of that mental and emotional strain showed on her face like battle scars. But now, it seemed as if all of those ancient scars faded away in an instant, as if they were never there.

"Where!?" she exclaimed. "Where is he!?"

"I-I think he was headed for Stricken City," Aisha replied, surprised by Ara's sudden outburst.

But after a moment's thought, Aisha knew that this was Ara's most natural response. It was no secret to any of her friends that Chung didn't break her heart by trying to kill her brother. He broke her heart when he left. They all knew that Ara loved him dearly and each of them felt a piece of her pain that day when Chung glared at her and left.

But in this one moment of hope, the 20-year old Asura closed her eyes and smiled as her mind flashed back to the day she fell in love with him.

* * *

It had been a long and brutal fight at the Altar of Dedication in Feita. Berthe was a tough enemy, indeed the strongest adversary the party had ever faced. But after a grueling standoff in front of the demon portal, they had finally won, downing the beast but not before he uttered some foreboding words.

"This war… has only just begun…"

The demon's head drooped down, and the light in his eyes began to dim. But suddenly, something entered into the seemingly lifeless body and revived him. Berthe lunged forward and attacked at an impossible speed.

Sighs of relief were silenced as Ara let out a scream muffled by her own blood. Her stomach turned into a deep, dark red void after Berthe had swung his massive claws.

The party immediately sprung into action. Chung sprinted to catch Ara as she fell to the ground. Elsword jumped over them, adrenaline coursing through his veins like electricity.

" _Sonic Blade!"_ The Lord Knight bellowed, and for just one second his sword became a white-hot flash and his body became a ferocious blood-red blur.

A clean tear opened up in Berthe's throat.

The monster staggered forward, coughing out purple blood that splattered onto the ground. Then finally death swallowed up hell's commander, leaving a lifeless shell on the ground in front of the demon portal.

Ignoring all this, Chung stared horrifyingly at the mortal wound that Ara had just sustained. Deep valleys of exposed flesh on her stomach housed rivers of fresh, flowing blood. Chung ripped off parts of his clothing to dress the wound and stop the bleeding. The others crowded around her, desperate to save her life, which was ebbing away like seconds off of a clock.

Luckily for her, the party had acted quickly enough to save her life. She escaped the Altar that day with terrible wounds, but somehow the pain didn't matter to her. Instead, Ara found a strange comfort in being carried home in Chung's arms. Her mind was foggy, but here and there she caught close-up glimpses of his face. In one instance, they made eye contact, and she stared directly into those deep blue eyes.

Ara smiled weakly. Then her eyes slowly closed.

* * *

In the following weeks, days felt like seconds to her, each one an incoherent blur. But one clear memory stood out like a lighthouse beside a sea of confusion.

Nine days after the battle, Ara laid awake in bed, lost in her own thoughts as she stared down at the bandages that were carefully wrapped around her abdomen. Dark red blotches contrasted against a pure white background. Then, a familiar golden-haired boy with cerulean eyes entered her room. He placed a bowl and a spoon on the nightstand next to her. He sat on a chair at her bedside and took her hand.

"Ara… Do you feel okay? Are you able to get up?"

His voice was soft and mild, and it soothed Ara's loneliness.

She didn't reply. She simply intertwined her fingers with his and smiled warmly at him. _It's so strange,_ she thought. _The feeling I have in my body isn't pain. It's… something else… Something fluttery and sweet._

"I… I can try," she finally said, weakness evident in her voice.

"Okay, but don't push yourself. Here. Slowly..."

Chung carefully lifted her up, and soon Ara was sitting up on the bed with her back on a comfy pillow and a bowl of warm soup on her lap.

"It's so good!" she marveled, admiring both the taste and the texture.

Chung's heart skipped a beat as he saw the joy on her face.

"I- I'm glad you like it!" he replied excitedly. "I made it myself."

"Wow…" she whispered, her voice fading in awe. "For me?"

"Yeah."

"...Thank you."

Chung nodded and smiled at her. Though he tried to hide it, Ara saw the cute pink blush that he had on his cheeks.

As Ara ate her meal, they conversed. They talked about everyday things, things that distracted Ara from the pain. She enjoyed his company more than she enjoyed the meal, and they talked for hours as the sun set below the distant murky hills.

Eventually the chatter stopped, and each of them remained there, silently content with each other's presence. Night fell and a mellow breeze entered the room and enveloped the two in its cool. As Ara prepared to go to sleep, she noticed that Chung had fallen asleep first.

 _He must've been working so hard to take care of me…_ she thought as she listened to his gentle snore.

Ara smiled at Chung as a fuzzy warmth engulfed her. She stroked his beautiful golden hair, feeling its softness and admiring its moonlit glow. Chung purred in response and shifted slightly in his sleep.

She giggled to herself; the sleeping prince looked so adorable! But aside from that she recognized how caring he was. How… _loving_ he was towards her. Ara blushed, and in that moment she finally realized what that feeling in her body was.

She had fallen in love with her sleeping prince.

Ara didn't deny it, rather she embraced it, allowing its warmth to engulf her heart and her soul. She slowly bent forward, ignoring the slight pain in her abdomen, and closed her eyes as she tenderly kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night, Chung," she whispered softly into his ear.

Then she used her arms to gradually let herself down onto a lying position, drawing her covers over her. She slept sweetly that night.

* * *

That memory revitalized her spirit. The look of renewed hope and determination on her face resurrected the flame inside of the hearts of the El Search Party. In one way or another, Ara would have her prince back home with her. There could be no other possibility, and if there was, she would not allow it.

Even if it meant having to kill her brother.

"He… He's probably after Ran," interjected Aisha, seemingly on par with Ara's thoughts.

Ara nodded and stood up from the ground where she sat, twirling her spear in a confident way. It surprised everyone else, because they haven't seen her do that in such a long time. Then, they too drew their weapons, following Ara's lead as they charged into the field of monsters with a terrifying war cry.

* * *

Fun Fact 1: BSR isn't just a random arrangement of letters. It stands for Bigass Sniper Rifle. Or Badass Sniper Rifle. Whichever you prefer.

Fun Fact 2: The Voidfang is based on the Ripper specialist weapon in Black Ops III. For all intents and purposes, the Voidfang has the same exact functionality as the Ripper, and will drop any normal enemy immediately on contact.

* * *

 _ **Ayy, what's good guys. This is LegenDarius, and I hope you enjoyed that little flashback I put in the chapter. I tried my hand at romance (first time writing it), and hopefully it wasn't too cheesy. Took me a while to come up with a scenario, but I finally did it. Ratings and reviews are always appreciated, and I'll see you guys on the next one.**_

 _ **Also, I play BO3 on PC. If you'd like to hit me up and play together, my Steam is LegenDarius. I need friends in that game lmao.**_


	3. Dance of Blades

**Chapter 3: Dance of Blades**

* * *

As Siberias dove straight towards Ran, Chung used his steed's momentum to push himself forward. It was like the killing blow that Ran was supposed to receive two weeks ago, except this time Chung himself was the missile. The blue streamers attached to his armor trailed behind him like jet exhaust, and his cloak was lost somewhere up in the northern winds. His eyes locked onto the base of Ran's neck. He jerked his left arm forward, extending the Voidfang towards its target.

But once again, adrenaline surged within Ran's demon body as he turned into a gray blur. He rushed forward at impossible speeds, and Chung's Voidfang merely stabbed the air. Despite the miss, the viciousness of the thrust caused the air to ring out with an earsplitting noise. Chung landed on his feet and dropped onto a roll. He got back up to face Ran, Voidfang drawn and in plain sight.

Ran turned around to face his opponent, an arrogant smile on his face. But that smile was quickly replaced with troubled eyes as Ran beheld the blade that jutted out of the Deadly Chaser's armguard. There was no mistaking it: this was the legendary Voidfang, a weapon feared all throughout the Demon Realm.

Ran's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the monstrous vantablack blade. "Where did you get that?"

"What is it to you?" Chung replied coldly.

"Do you know what that is?"

Chung did not reply.

The monsters that attacked him earlier began to encircle him, but Ran waved them off with his hand. The dark beasts then stood at a distance, beholding their commander as he fought with a rather formidable looking adversary.

"That is the Voidfang," Ran continued. "It's one of the most feared weapons of hell."

"Is it now?" Chung replied nonchalantly, while keeping eye contact with a determined stare.

Ran's composure quickly crumbled into a frown, and he rushed the Deadly Chaser at an inhuman speed. Blades clashed, and the shadow beasts shuddered as they beheld the two in a perfect dance of blades.

Ran's sword—the Night Siege—was just as menacing as Chung's blade, and it too remained dark against the sunlight.

They caught each other in an icy deadlock, pushing against each other with their blades in an X. Chung braced his left arm with his right hand as his hardened cerulean eyes stared down at Ran's evil red eyes. Chung saw no humanity at all in those evil red eyes—it was all corrupted.

Ara had hoped with all her heart that she could somehow turn this demon back to the brother she once had. That Ran would denounce the demonic power inside of him and return to being Aren. But as Chung had gotten up close and personal with the Dark Earl, he saw no light at all in those cold, dead eyes.

All he saw was a deep, red abyss.

 _Sorry, Ara…,_ thought Chung. _I think he's lost for good._

The Deadly Chaser's countenance softened momentarily, as he grieved for this man who had once been Aren Haan. He grieved for Ara as well, for he knew that this would dash her heart into pieces.

The truth can be cruel like that.

"...Aren!" Chung whispered fiercely, hoping to see if there was even an iota of him left.

"Don't call me that!" the Earl snarled.

Chung's face hardened once more as pushed his Voidfang upwards, knocking both blades up. He followed up with a hard right punch to the stomach. The blow stunned Ran for a bit, and Chung used that split second to slash downward at the demon. Ran was extremely cautious of the weapon, so he backed away quickly. But he didn't escape unharmed. Blood dripped from a straight, clean wound on his front shoulder, and he winced at the sharp, burning pain it brought. A slight purple color painted the edge of the Voidfang before quickly dissipating, as if the blade itself had drank the demon commander's blood.

It thirsted for more, and Chung could feel it in his being.

He didn't lighten up. While Ran was inspecting his wound, Chung quickly retracted his Voidfang. He reached for his Silver Shooters, and only half second had passed until he was already shooting a fusillade of magical bullets at the retreating general.

"Coward!"

The Deadly Chaser yelled as he ran after the demon, who was now covered with burns and gunshot wounds. However, the Dark Earl was still too fast to be chased on foot, and he easily increased the distance between them. So Chung slid to his knees and stopped behind a rock.

He unslung the Godstryker and placed the rifle on the rock. He cocked the bolt, feeding a monstrous round into the chamber, and aimed at the demon. Chung had been practicing and experimenting with rifles and other firearms in the past two weeks, but he was by no means an expert sniper. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he focused, adjusting his aim a little bit to account for gravity and wind.

There was a loud, thunderous boom as the magical bullet accelerated within the barrel and broke the sound barrier. Well, half of it was magical. It had the same properties as Chung's Silver Shooters—the blue magical projectiles. But the Godstryker fired a solid 18mm round that was encased in that magical blue light. After the bullet left the barrel, tiny arcs of electricity zig-zagged down the top side of the barrel until dissipating at the muzzle brake.

The bullet soared through the air at supersonic speed, leaving an indescribable sound in its trail that sounded like the sky being sliced open. Not even the Dark Earl could escape it with his superhuman speed—the round hit him square in the back. The sheer force it carried caused him to tumble onto the ground, coughing purple blood into the dust. The bullet hit him hard, and it dug its way through his armor and deep into his body, leaving a crater of singed flesh. However, after firing, Chung felt a slight exhaustion—the rifle had eaten a good portion of his mana.

Chung holstered the rifle before blowing into his dog whistle. Instantly, Siberias came roaring out of the skies and swooped up his master using his legs. The Deadly Chaser unleashed the malevolent Voidfang from the armguard, and he could feel its intense bloodthirst coursing through his veins.

When Chung and Siberias were only about 150 meters behind Ran, Chung ordered Siberias to drop him as well as the Destroyer. The Ice Hameling obeyed, unleashing Chung like a missile being fired from a fighter jet. The blue streamers attached to the Freiturnier trailed behind Chung like twin contrails as he flew, and the Destroyer flew alongside him like a wingman. He forced his left arm forward, and this time, the Voidfang made contact and drew blood.

Lots of blood.

Chung's wicked blade annihilated its way through Ran's left hamstring and left a nasty, festering wound. The demon roared at the sharp, burning pain that seared his leg.

Ran snarled at the boy before retaliating with a vicious backhand, sending him flying. The Earl cried out from aggravating the wound, calling for his servants.

Several of the dark beasts rallied around him. One of them, a gargantuan Raven Shadow Master, covered the Earl and turned away to shield its master using its massive body.

A few meters away, Chung stared up at the shifting skies as his vision dizzied out of control. His head ached profoundly, and he felt small trickles of warm blood flowing down his left cheek. He wanted to chase after the Earl, but he was too dizzy to get back up, let alone give chase.

Chung heard the shuffling of monsters. Deep moans mixed with hostile growls were making their way towards him. All the while his brain threatened to black out. Chung's head bobbed in a circle as he fought for consciousness, his hand slowly losing its grip on the Destroyer.

Miraculously, his fierce will kept him awake, but it wasn't fierce enough to get him onto his feet. The constant pounding in his head from the backhand prevented Chung such a luxury.

And so the Deadly Chaser crawled.

Each aching push of his legs to get his back to a wall increased the pain, but Chung swallowed the pain and used it to fuel his rage. But even that wasn't enough to get him to the wall—his legs were too tired and the pounding in his head was unbearable. After a while, his vision cleared a little, but the dizziness and the headache were still present.

The beasts were closer now, about 25 meters away. And so in a last ditch effort to survive, Chung drew out one of his Silver Shooters and held it in a two-handed grip. Chung began firing at the monsters that were nearest to him. They would've fallen quickly with one or two shots to the skull, but his headache caused some inaccuracy, thus missing a few. Nevertheless, the successful shots accomplished their purpose.

Bright blue met pitch black in loud, meaty thuds. The shadow monsters stopped for a moment to inspect their fallen comrades.

Using that extra time, Chung fished inside his pockets for a potion. He found a spare bottle and chugged the viscous, red liquid. His headache began to diminish at a faster rate, and soon Chung was able to get back on his feet with the help of the Destroyer's handle.

 _That Ran's a bastard but he's no weakling,_ Chung thought as he wiped the blood off of his cheek.

He drove the butt of the Destroyer into the ground.

" _Artillery Strike!"_ Chung whispered furiously as six missiles erupted consecutively from the barrel and accelerated skyward. The beasts stood there dumbfounded, asking each other what their enemy just did.

Somewhere in the skies, the six missiles converged, forming a projectile that looked like a nuclear warhead. The warhead turned as it fell, so that its nose was pointing towards the ground. Then the beasts' questions were answered when the warhead hit the ground in front of them. There was a bright flash, and soon the air was filled with demonic screams of pain.

And flaming body parts flying in all directions.

* * *

Ran and his convoy of demons looked back at the carnage that just happened behind them. Even the Dark Earl himself looked horrified, as he saw the wounded Deadly Chaser walking towards them, Destroyer in his right hand and Voidfang in his left. A murderous aura followed him in the likeness of a neon mushroom cloud, and its light covered Chung in a deep shadow, making him appear like an angel of death.

As he walked towards them, Chung blew into his dog whistle. Suddenly Siberias swooped out from the skies and dropped an air strike of icicles on the convoy. The ice dragon roared as he unleashed the deadly payload, and then flew off into the distance.

A majority of the convoy was killed in the attack—only the Raven Shadow Master and two Shadow Walkers remained. Though the demons shielded Ran with their bodies, the Dark Earl was not unscathed by the furious shards of ice that pelted them.

Cuts and deep gashes now lined the Dark Earl's body, and Chung could see the pain in the general's eyes as he observed him from a distance. At last, the Deadly Chaser would have his revenge! But not only that, with Ran gone, surely Chung's precious nation would be cleansed of this cancer that has pervaded it for years.

Only Ran and the Raven Shadow Master were left.

Until two new contenders appeared.

Then Ran smiled.

Chung could feel quaking footsteps as a giant stepped out from one of the ruined buildings. The hulking beast stood eight feet tall, and several layers of muscle lined every inch of his body, acting like full-body organic kevlar. Three huge nails jutted head-first out of his shoulders, and a gigantic horn adorned his head. To top it off, the giant wore armor similar to that of a professional wrestler.

The Deadly Chaser narrowed his eyes in rage as he beheld his new opponent.

"Victor…" Chung seethed.

The monster laughed arrogantly at the boy, but Chung was unfazed it. He knew what an attention whore Victor was, and Chung merely used Victor's pretentious attitude to fuel his controlled rage.

To his left, Chung also picked up soft footsteps on the ground, although they didn't seem like they belonged to Siberias. Sure enough, a pink-haired dark elf jogged nonchalantly to her master's side.

"Chloe…"

The elf was fierce-looking, and ominous tattoos lined her dark-skinned body. Strangely, her bow was also with her. Back when the El Search Party had fought her in the Halls of Water, she only had her body techniques to rely on. Now her bow is back with her, and it gave off the same foreboding aura that Chung's Voidfang emanated.

The two new contenders stood there menacingly, as the Raven Shadow Master carried Ran away into the distance behind them. Chung furrowed his brow as the rage inside of him grew.

But now was not the time to explode, and Chung knew that. He let them have their laughs and their glory moments now, because in just a few moments he would be dragging the both of them kicking and screaming into the darkness.

* * *

 _Hey guys, it's LegenDarius. Hoped you like this chapter. It's a bit more action-packed, to balance out the fluff. Also, I already have a version of Chapter 4 written down, so that should be coming soon! Thanks for reading, and as always, ratings and reviews are always appreciated. I'll see you guys on the next one! Peace._


	4. Battlefield Reunion

**Chapter 4: Battlefield Reunion**

* * *

The dark elf laughed boisterously at Chung. It wasn't the pleasant laughter that Chung would occasionally hear from Ara or Rena. No, this was a relentless cackle that made his blood boil.

 _Arrogance seems to be a trend among them,_ Chung thought as his face darkened with wrath. _It'll be their downfall._

"Ohoho…" laughed Chloe as she wiped a tear away. "Aww, are you all alone? What happened to all of your _roach_ friends?"

Chloe put so much acid into the word "roach" that it threatened to melt Chung's composure. But the Deadly Chaser was steadfast, and his face remained like a stone.

"Move," Chung said to her calmly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Move."

The dark elf inched closer to him, turning her ear to him in a mocking fashion.

"I can't hear you~"

Chung didn't waste his breath.

Chloe's eyes widened when she tried to stare at Chung face to face. Instead of meeting his cerulean eyes, the dark elf found herself staring down the barrel of a Silver Shooter.

 _P-taff!_

A bright blue magical bullet smacked the boisterous elf right between the eyes, throwing her head back in the process. But unlike in the movies, headshots aren't always an instant kill.

Thankfully, Chung knew that all too well.

The force wasn't enough to knock her down, and she stared Chung with terrifying eyes once she recovered from the shock.

"Why you…!"

She lunged forward with a silver knife in hand. Chung parried the stab with his Voidfang, using the wide side of the blade like a tiny shield. The knife bounced out of her hand with a _clang_ , somersaulting out of her reach. Then Chung countered with a quick jab to the throat, making sure to use his knuckles to deliver the savage impact.

Victor stood at a distance with his arms crossed as he watched the fight. Further back, the Raven Shadow Master was escorting the Dark Earl to the Fountain of Healing.

"Victor, take him out. And if his friends show up, kill them too," ordered Ran.

"Understood, my lord," replied Victor in a surprisingly formal tone.

Chung saw Ran and the Shadow Master retreating, and he knew that the only way to get to them was through Chloe and Victor. He grunted inwardly at the delay, but no matter. His knees were too deep in the mud of his mission to turn back now.

Chloe let out a muffled choke as Chung struck her. She staggered backwards from the blow, and Chung took that chance to swing his Destroyer at her.

The dark elf blocked the incoming cannon with both hands before using it to jump upwards. She landed both of her feet on the Destroyer and used the downward force to knock the cannon out of the Deadly Chaser's hands. She finished her move by swinging a right high kick towards Chung.

Retracting the blade, Chung blocked the attack with his left arm before turning his body into the kick. He retaliated with a hard right hook to the jaw, which sent the nimble elf tumbling onto the ground.

Chung drew out his blade to finish her off. It seethed with an immense thirst, and it led him towards the dark elf's jugular. But before he could execute her, the Deadly Chaser caught fast movement to his right.

An enormous wall was headed straight for him.

 _Victor! That bastard!_

He braced for impact with everything he had, for the flying wall was too big and too fast to be dodged.

" _Guided Arrow!"_

The all-too-familiar voice was followed by an explosion that reduced the incoming wall to smithereens. Instead of potentially fatal impact, Chung was only caressed by dust and tiny pebbles.

Chung turned, with eyes wide and an equally wide open mouth, towards the direction of the voice and saw the Grand Archer Rena standing in the distance, her lime-colored hair flowing gracefully in the wind. Standing beside her was the Reckless Fist, Raven, with his sword drawn. The rest of the El Search Party stood behind them.

Even Ara was there.

The tableau seemed to hold for hours. Both Chloe and Victor were dumbfounded at what just happened. Chung was even more shocked that his friends had found him. And his friends stood there looking at him with pleading eyes, as if they were begging him to return to them.

Could the Deadly Chaser return? After what he had done to them? After what he had done to Ara? A wave of guilt washed over him, re-irritating his old wounds with fresh salt. He would've wept at the sight of them. But he didn't.

Not here.

Not now.

Instead, he looked back at them with understanding eyes, and he nodded towards them. Then, as if on cue, the tableau broke.

Victor roared before charging straight at the Deadly Chaser, his horn gleaming with white-hot bloodlust. Chloe got up and aimed her bow at him, ignoring the rest of the El Search Party.

"Don't worry Chung!" yelled Elsword. "We got your back!"

Immediately after Elsword said that, the whole battlefield turned into a moshpit of death.

Rena, Aisha, and Ara charged at Chloe while Elsword, Raven, and Eve ran towards Chung to support him.

Chung met Victor's gaze with his own ferocious stare, the fire inside him rekindled by the appearance of his dear friends. He picked up his Destroyer and leapt into the air. He fired a rocket downwards in order to thrust himself up over Victor's head, dodging his bull charge. Arrows flew towards him, but his midair pirouette made them all miss. Meanwhile, the others strafed to the side while attacking the rushing titan.

Victor kept going, unable to stop himself due to his own momentum. The giant crashed into the wall of a ruined building, and it crumbled into a white dust storm. Chung landed from his pirouette and faced Victor's back. He ran forward so that he was in range, then deployed his Destroyer in the _Siege Shelling_ stance.

Bright azure rockets flew through the air, one after another in a relentless barrage. Victor let out low-pitched cries as the rockets hit him and detonated over and over again.

Then the rockets stopped with a click.

"Guys!" hollered Chung to his teammates. "Keep him busy, I'll provide sniper support!"

"How're you gonna do that? Your Destroyer's empty!" replied Raven.

Chung didn't reply, as his voice was already silent from yelling again.

He dropped to the ground in a prone position. He drew out the Godstryker, deployed the bipod, and cocked the bolt. A humongous shell the size of a tall shot glass ejected from the chamber and landed on the ground with a deep _klink!_

In the distance, Elsword and Raven were slashing at the monster while dodging his rather clumsy attacks. Eve stood back, using lasers to provide long range support.

"Try to keep him in one spot! Chung's providing sniper support!" yelled Raven.

"On it!" replied Elsword and Eve.

The two swordsmen kept slashing and circling, slashing and circling, slashing and circling. All the while Eve continued the endless barrage of laser attacks. Soon cuts and burns lined Victor's entire body like a desolate topography of dry land and fissures.

 _Btooooom!_

The sonic boom echoed around the Deadly Chaser as the bullet sped towards its target. Chung kept his eye on the scope, following the bullet's trajectory. It hit Victor's left bicep and ripped a significant amount of flesh out with it. Though the monster let out a deafening roar of pain, Chung was dissatisfied.

Because Victor was still alive.

Chung angrily cocked the bolt and aimed again.

His friends paused momentarily when they heard the thundering noise that came from the rifle. But they quickly realized that now wasn't the time for questions, and so they resumed their fight.

However, when Victor realized that he was under sniper fire, he jumped out of the circle created by the two swordsmen.

The leap was impossibly high, and Chung's jaw dropped when he saw the monster jump about 5 stories high. He landed on the ground 20 meters from where Chung was lying down, and a high-magnitude shockwave emanated from his landing point. The quake was so powerful that the ground seemed to bend like a tidal wave, and it hit Chung solidly on the chest.

The wind left him, and the Deadly Chaser lay prone on the ground coughing and gasping for air. He feared that the shockwave might've broken a rib as his vision spun out of control and his breathing became staggered and irregular.

He felt tiny tremors making their way toward him as Victor let out a low grumble.

There were no more arrogant laughs. Victor recognized what a threat Chung and his friends were, and that realization melted away his chutzpah and replaced it with a terrifying focus.

Chung's breathing became more panicked with each step the monster took towards him.

"Chung!" he heard Raven scream. But it sounded like a distant echo that came from the other side of the world.

Chung saw red and silver blurs around him before blacking out.

* * *

The Asura's eyes widened when she saw Chung black out near Victor. Adrenaline coursed through her body, and she began to run toward Chung.

"Ara, watch out!" cried Aisha. But it was too late.

Chloe, cunning as she was, used the momentary distraction to hit Ara in the back with a plethora of magic arrows. The arrows tore into her back before dissipating, and they stopped Ara in her tracks.

She turned around, seemingly unfazed by the arrows, and stared at Chloe with insane, murderous eyes.

"How dare you!" shrieked Ara. Her shrill voice seemed to slice the sky, and it stunned everyone—even Chloe—into stillness.

Like a flash of lightning, Ara swung her spear at the elf at impossible speeds. Phantom claws followed the spear tips as the Asura released a barrage of attacks on the elf.

The counterattack was so sudden that Chloe had no time to block.

Hell, she didn't even have time to scream.

Aisha and Rena merely gaped at the absolute horror that unfolded before them. Ara shredded and skewered the poor elf with each merciless swing, ending the visceral attack with an upward slash that sent body parts flying in all directions.

The whole battlefield suddenly became a buffet for vultures, and the carrion birds took the opportunity to feast.

Ara stood still with the spear in her hands, her back turned to her comrades. The ominous black birds flew overhead while blood and flesh fell like rain all around her, creating a horrific scene that was the stuff of nightmares.

Aisha and Rena both trembled in crippling fear. This... wasn't the Ara that they knew. The Ara Haan that they knew was attractive, kindhearted, and adorably clumsy at times. Even in battle, the Asura was known for holding back and being merciful to her enemies.

But not this time.

This time there was no kindness in those cold, dead eyes. Only disdain.

The sound of Ara's voice broke the heavy silence.

"Let's go."

Those words were strangely dispassionate, but they were commanding. The Grand Archer and the Elemental Master followed without question as the three made their way towards Victor.

Towards Chung.

* * *

"He's down! He's down!" screamed Elsword as he rushed towards the monster. Raven was at his right hand, and Eve was following behind to his left.

Victor had planned to squash the Deadly Chaser with his foot, but the three enemies that rushed him denied him that trophy. Instead, he put his arms up in a cross formation as he blocked the incoming flurry of attacks.

Elsword and Raven resumed their patient strategy of whittling down the enemy. Eve joined the mix, and the three attacked Victor so relentlessly that he was unable to retaliate.

" _Sandstorm!"_

" _X Crash!"_

" _Linear Divider!"_

Although he was sick of defending, Victor blocked and blocked until the right opportunity came. It was a risky play, because the longer he blocked, the more injuries he would sustain. But once his three assailants began to show signs of tiredness, he struck.

Victor balled his rage into his fist and struck Eve in the face. The Battle Seraph instantly went tumbling into the ground like a ragdoll.

She didn't get back up.

Victor wasn't finished. He continued his flurry of rage by putting the remaining two swordsmen in a chokehold before they could attack. Victor leapt into the air, taking Elsword and Raven with him, and poured all of his wrath into his next attack.

" _Gravity Spike!"_

There was an explosion, and the sound of something cracking filled the air, causing the vultures to flee.

Elsword and Raven immediately blacked out, and their swords fell from their hands.

Soon afterwards, Ara, Rena, and Aisha arrived on the scene. Carnage painted the whole landscape, and they looked in horror as they saw their friends and dearest loved ones splattered all around. The insane decorum instilled madness in each of their eyes.

The three females engaged Victor in a flurry of attacks. Victor, exhausted from tanking his previous three assailants, began to retreat once the Asura started charging at him. He parried her vicious attacks with all of his might, all the while sustaining damage from incoming arrows and lightning bolts.

 _Btooooom!_

The same thunderous boom echoed throughout the battlefield, causing all fighters to halt in surprise.

Except for Victor. He was on the ground letting out a shrill cry of pain.

The Asura looked down in surprise, and saw that Victor's left leg was completely detached at the kneecap. A few feet away, the detached leg twitched on the ground like a dying snake, painting the dust red.

The three girls turned to the right, and saw Chung—who was supposed to be knocked out—walking slowly towards them. He had the Godstryker in his hands and his face was hardened and enigmatic, unfazed by Victor's hideous cries of pain. His armor was cracked, and streaks of dried blood decorated his face like war paint. He walked slowly towards the crippled Victor with an eerie, machine-like rhythm, silently enjoying the blood and pain of his enemy.

Meanwhile Aisha and Rena stood in the distance, once again petrified by the sight that they were seeing. Even Ara was dumbfounded at what her eyes beheld. The gentle, cute, innocent Chung that they all knew looked every bit like a stone-cold killer.

The Deadly Chaser stood over his enemy, looking at him with hatred mixed with pity.

"Ch-Chung... Ugh!" the beast cried. But those pleas fell on deaf ears as his executioner stood over him. Chung's merciless cerulean eyes bore holes in Victor's soul. Victor's heart jumped once he heard the sound of Chung working the bolt.

 _Btooooom!_

"Aaaauuugh!" the beast cried in a higher pitch than before. After the initial pain subsided, Victor peered down and saw his other leg come flying off at the kneecap. Chung cocked the bolt again.

 _Btooooom!_

Victor's mind began to go blank from the all the screaming and pain. He peered down and this time there was a gaping hole in his stomach. He could see all of the exposed organs that his flesh once held together. They were all spilling and sloshing onto the ground like dead snakes.

Chung cocked the bolt, letting another gargantuan shell hit the ground.

 _Btooooom!_

A huge fleshy crater appeared on Victor's chest, followed by an even shriller cry of pain. Bones and ribs jutted out through the skin like evil claws. All the while, Chung's face remained like stone. His eyes focused on his tormented enemy, and he ignored the presence of the three women that watched him in horror.

He cocked the bolt once more, loading the last round into the chamber. Chung brought the rifle stock to his shoulder and aimed down the scope.

The monster pleaded one more time. "Chung! Don't—"

 _Btooooom!_

All of a sudden, Victor's head burst, sending chunks of flesh and gray matter flying all around. The blood and brains splattered their ankles and painted their armor a horrifying red. Tiny arcs of electricity danced all around the Godstryker's barrel, as if the gun itself was rejoicing at the death of an enemy. In the distance, the roars of the Godstryker could be heard echoing all throughout the skies.

Chung pulled the bolt back and pressed the mag release, causing the humongous magazine to fall to the ground with a thud. He quickly replaced the empty gun with a fresh magazine and slammed the bolt into place.

He turned to his comrades with eyes that were no longer like stone. Strange lights flickered within those deep blue eyes before they began to tear up. All of a sudden, Chung's hardened face melted away, and he looked like a child that was about to cry. The Godstryker fell from his trembling hands, and the Deadly Chaser began to sink to his knees.

The Chung that they knew was back, and whatever spirit that had possessed him in that moment had left. For now.

Ara ran towards him and hugged him tightly, and they fell together to their knees. Chung hugged her back, crying into her chest. They missed each other so much, it didn't matter that they reunited amidst the carnage of war. All that mattered to Ara was that her prince was back with her. The two cherished this moment, as they both knew that it would soon pass.

They broke away the hug, and they stared at each other with longing eyes. Aisha and Rena joined them, engulfing them in a cheerful group hug. It was quite a strange sight: a warm reunion amidst a battlefield full of death and destruction. But there they were, greeting each other and laughing amidst the despair.

It was like spitting in the eye of Death himself, and it felt good.

"We'll talk later, okay?" whispered Ara. Chung nodded in response.

"Yeah!" cheered Aisha. But soon after she said that, her face darkened, sending chills down Chung's spine. "You have so much explaining to do…"

Rena joined in. "Yes… We're going to have a loooong talk after all this is over." She flashed a bright, but sinister smile. "Okay?"

Chung nervously nodded. _Who knew that girls could be so scary?_

* * *

The four got up from their little group hug and went to look for their friends. They found Elsword and Raven lying down next to each other. Aisha ran to the Lord Knight's side, while Rena took towards Raven. Miraculously, the armor they were wearing protected them from Victor's Gravity Spike. Their armor was heavily damaged and neither of them were unscathed, but at least no bones were broken. There were only minor bruises and cuts.

Chung went over to check on Eve. The Battle Seraph was knocked out cold, and he could feel a bruise on her tender cheek.

"Man…" sighed Chung. "That Victor is a savage."

He checked her pulse and found that she was still alive. Just unconscious. _Thank God…_ thought Chung as he lifted her up bridal style. He carried her to a safer place and laid her head on Ara's lap. Chung produced a cloth from his Freiturnier and began to clean her face with it.

Eve soon woke up, and the wounds she had were taken care of. Then the others began tending to their wounds, after seeing that Eve was alright. The El Search Party patched themselves up, bracing themselves for the horrible trial that awaited them.

There in the distance, beyond the dust and decay, awaited Ran.

* * *

 _Okay, I'm really really sorry that I took a week to upload this, even though I said in the last chapter that this one would come soon. This past week, I had to finish submitting files in order to process my scholarships, and I also had to prepare for a road test (which, thank God, I passed). So yeah, really sorry for the late upload._

 _But hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Got some gore in there, and I tried my best to make Chung look like a complete badass in this chapter. Because later on... Nevermind. I won't spoil it :)_

 _Anyways, reviews are always appreciated, and I'll see you guys on the next one! (Please review, as I got no reviews in the last chapter ;( )_


	5. Journey to the Fountain

**Chapter 5: Journey to the Fountain**

* * *

The El Search Party sat in a small circle in the shadow of a ruined building. The sun burned mercilessly over the desolate wastelands of Stricken City, and there were no clouds to block its relentless light. There, in the refuge of the shadows, they shared what little food they brought and passed around potions and mana drinks to help each other recuperate.

Chung popped almonds in his mouth and chewed slowly as he mused. Several things ran through his mind all at once as he stared a thousand yards into the distance. He calculated where Ran might be right now, and a wave of fear hit him when he began to wonder if they could even catch up to him now. But the fear subsided when Chung remembered how he hit Ran in back with a sniper round, which should put him out of commission for now. The last time Chung saw him, Ran was being carried away by a rather slow Shadow Master, so they should have time to catch up. And then there's—

"Hey, Chung!" yelled Elsword, snapping his fingers. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"H-huh…?" replied Chung, snapping out of his daze. "No, I didn't. Sorry."

"I asked you where you got the gun from. I saw it tear a chunk out of Victor in that last fight. It looks and sounds really scary, dude."

The Lord Knight gestured with his eyes toward the behemoth of a rifle. The stock sat on the ground while the gleaming, silver barrel rested against Chung's shoulder like a harp. The safety switch was flicked on, the magazine was detached, and the chamber was empty.

"That's… That's a secret."

"Hey!" whined Aisha, putting her hands on her hips. Her amethyst eyes stared piercingly at Chung. "Why are you hiding things from us?"

"Yeah, and what's the thing on your arm?" chimed Rena.

"It's just a retractable katar. It's for close combat," answered Chung. Although his answer was simple and avoided the bigger question that burned within them. Chung's eyes darted back and forth, hoping to avoid any of their gazes. Especially Ara's piercing stare, which bore holes into his cheek.

"You know, we're your comrades," said Raven, a deep tone rising from his throat. "You really shouldn't be hiding stuff from us."

The Deadly Chaser sighed, twirling the Erlenmeyer flask in his hands. The red liquid inside stirred within the glass flask as if it was red wine being aerated by some travelling connoisseur.

Chung drank silently before he spoke, and the liquid burned his throat for a moment before soothing it. The potion returned his voice so that Chung no longer sounded like a ghost.

"Shouldn't we get going? We're burning daylight," said the Deadly Chaser.

"Not before you tell us what you've been doing the past two weeks," said Elsword with his arms crossed. The others agreed.

"Alright, fine," replied Chung. "First off, the reason you couldn't track me was that I was living inside a black market hideout in a secured area near the city."

They all gasped.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But imagine yourself in my shoes. If I didn't want anyone to be able to track where I was, then why would I go to my own house? Staying at an inn might be good for a few days, but it wasn't an option for someone with a high profile like me. Believe me, everyone in Hamel knows who I am. I'm their protector after all. Or at least… I was."

He took a sad glance at his Silver Shooters, before continuing.

"Back at the hideout, I began paying someone—let's call him Ghost—to track Ran for me. He worked in underground communications, and believe me, he was a beast at recon. He found Ran within two days, and he tracked him for the rest of the time I was there. On top of that, I ordered some new toys through him. These..."

Chung gestured towards his rifle, that leaned against his shoulder, and he lifted up his left arm to showcase the Voidfang. He squeezed his left hand, and the blade shot out of the metallic dock at impossible speeds. The sudden appearance of the blade shocked the others like a jump scare. Chung eyed the blade and held it out, mesmerized by how it remained pitch black against the brutal sunlight. He felt its immense bloodthirst once more, before re-sheathing it in front of his friends.

"So there you have it. Any more questions?"

"I have so many…" seethed Aisha. "But they can wait!"

"I second that," added Ara. "You and I are gonna have long talk after this is over."

"Alright then," said Raven. "Let's go, shall we."

And with that, the Party got up from their little refuge in the shadows and set out towards the Fountain of Healing.

"Ran's probably way ahead of us now," informed Chung. "So if you got mounts, I suggest you use them now."

With that, the Deadly Chaser blew his dog whistle, and his Ice Hameling answered the call with a dragon's roar. Even though the gang was familiar with Siberias, it sent chills down their spines every time they heard that bestial roar. There was so much raw power radiating from that beast, and hearing him roar gave all of them strength.

Rena quickly followed up. She sang a mysterious tune with her voice, and it seemed as if her voice surrounded them like mist. Then all of a sudden, sounds of fast trotting were heard from the north, and an Ancient Phoru met them as they traveled. The Phoru's violet mane flowed gloriously in the humid wind as it trotted.

Then, Eve followed up. Holographic screens full of cryptic computer code encircled her. Her eyes flickered back and forth as the screens orbited her like planets, before disappearing into the thick, humid air. After the light show, a bright flash cloaked the Battle Seraph in its brilliance, and she reappeared seated in the driver's seat of a giant, robotic Nasod Scorpion.

Ara was next and last. She summoned the Millennium Fox, Eun. Eun was a spirit bound to Ara's body. She lives within Ara's conscience, but for short amounts of time, Eun can manifest as a gigantic nine-tailed fox.

Raven and Rena mounted the Ancient Phoru. Elsword, Aisha, and Ara mounted Eun. Chung saddled up on Siberias, and Eve rode by herself on the mechanized scorpion. Together they rode through the wasteland of Stricken City, leaving the corpses of Chloe and Victor for the vultures above them.

* * *

An hour later…

Chung was flying ahead of the gang, surveying the land ahead from a bird's eye view. As he examined the land, he saw an extremely long ravine that stretched out for miles. The ravine was impossibly deep, and its cliffs were perfectly vertical like walls. The whole thing looked like a gigantic crack in the earth, and it gave off a foreboding aura that it housed some ancient sleeping demon. There were ruins of a bridge on the edges of the ravine, and pieces of it were hidden in the darkness of its black depths.

Chung and Siberias flew lower and lower until the dragon was trotting on the ground ahead of the party. The Hameling slowed its pace to a stop, and Chung held up his hand, signaling the gang to stop. They were about 150 meters from the edge of the ravine.

"Chung? Why are we stopping?" asked a confused Ara.

"You may or may not see it," began Chung. "But there's a gigantic ravine ahead. It's way too long for us to go around, and it looks like it's 30 meters across."

The silence hung in the air for an uncomfortable moment.

"You're gonna have to jump, guys. That's why I stopped you here."

He paused for a moment.

"You ready?"

"Yeah!" they all hollered.

Chung smirked coolly at them. "That's what I like to hear. Let's go!"

The Ice Hameling barked in excitement. And with that, Chung and Siberias picked up speed before taking off again, using the land as a runway.

Behind him followed the rest of the El Search Party.

"Hold on, guys!" yelled Ara. After she said that, Eun broke into a mad charge. The Ancient Phoru and the Nasod Scorpion picked up speed as well, preparing for the long jump.

Elsword suddenly wrapped his arms around Aisha and hugged her from behind.

"E-Elsword!" stammered Aisha. "W-What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry!" he yelled. "The acceleration is nuts! I almost fell off!"

"I-idiot! If you do that, I'll…" the flustered mage trailed off. Though Elsword couldn't see it, Aisha was blushing like mad. She could feel his heart beating on her back, and soon her own heart began beating faster and faster.

For what seemed like forever, Elsword clung to Aisha with all his might. Aisha could feel his cheek pressing against her back, and sometimes strands of his red hair would tickle her neck.

Normally, she would've pushed him off of her and knocked his lights out with her wand. But she couldn't do that; they were about to jump a ravine! But there was something else that bothered her. She didn't actually mind him hugging her. In fact, if she said she didn't like it then she'd be lying through her teeth.

"3… 2… 1… JUMP!" yelled Ara.

All of a sudden, everyone took a breathless leap of faith, and their hearts bobbed up and down their chests as they hung weightlessly in the void above the ravine. But Aisha's heart was soaring long before she flew.

They all managed to land on the other side with a thud. Even more miraculously, no one got hurt, and no one fell off of their mounts.

"Good job, guys!" Chung yelled from above. "You just put Olympic long jumpers to shame!"

Siberias barked happily as if the dragon was congratulating them.

They all let out a long exhale as if they'd been holding their breaths for a year. Then after gathering their bearings, they continued onwards towards the Fountain of Healing.

* * *

It had been 30 minutes since they landed, and Elsword was still hugging Aisha like a teddy bear. He had fallen asleep on her, and his head rested against her back. She could feel the gentle, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest as he slept soundly, and she secretly enjoyed his warmth. She grinned from ear to ear as she cuddled against him, glad that Elsword was tenderly hugging her.

Not that she'd ever admit that.

However, that smile did not escape the eyes of the Asura in front of her.

"Heeheehee! Someone's in love~" teased Ara in a sing-song voice.

It instantly broke Aisha's composure like glass, causing her voice to crack like a window-pane.

"E-eeehhhh!?" she exclaimed, her cheeks glowing a bright red. "W-what are you talking about?"

"I'm not blind, Aisha! I can _clearly_ see you enjoying his company."

The Elemental Master was caught red-handed. She tried desperately for a way out of Ara's leering gaze.

"I-I only see him as an annoying little brother!"

"Oh? Then why were you looking so happy that he fell asleep on you?"

"B-because he's… quiet! Yeah, quiet! Of course!"

"Really? I'd have thought that you'd still be annoyed because he was loud in the first place. Teehee, this is so unlike you, Aisha! Or maybe…" Ara trailed off with a devious smile forming on her face. "Maybe you're showing us your true colors!"

"SHUT UP! THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

"Mmmnh…" moaned Elsword in his sleep. He shifted slightly before falling asleep again, this time hugging Aisha even tighter. Now Aisha was blushing like crazy, and everyone could see the pinkness on her face.

"Awwww!" gushed Ara. "That's so cute! There's no hiding it now, Aisha~"

The flustered mage didn't reply. Instead, she looked down, her face flushed as the Lord Knight held her tenderly from behind.

"Listen…" whispered Ara in a serious tone. "It's okay to admit that you like him. Everyone knows that you do, anyway."

"Yeah but…" replied Aisha. "What if I ruin our friendship? Sure he's annoying, but in all honesty, I don't want him to hate me…"

"He's not going to."

"E-eh? How do you know?"

"Because he likes you too! Look how gently he's hugging you!"

Aisha paused for a moment, letting Ara's words soak in and melt away months of denial. She was again aware of Elsword's embrace, feeling his gentle warmth. It was such a wonderful feeling, being hugged by the person she liked. At that moment, Aisha decided not to hide her feelings anymore—she'd done that for too long.

The purplette remained silent. She snuggled against Elsword and felt herself relax in his embrace.

"You're right, Ara," Aisha finally said.

"That's the spirit!" replied the Asura.

The mage let out a long exhale as if a great burden was being lifted off of her shoulders. It made her feel lighter than a feather, unburdened by having to hide and suppress her feelings. Every day that those feelings went unexpressed, the burden grew heavier and heavier, until she walked around with a constant pain in her chest. But in a single moment, all of that was erased, and it was replaced with an uncanny lightness.

"I love you, Eldork," she muttered dreamily.

"Love you too~ Wait, what did you call me?"

The voice came from Elsword, who was supposed to be asleep behind her. Aisha lost her composure yet again.

"E-eeehhhh!?" she screamed, feeling all her blood going to her face. "E-Elsword!? Since w-when did you… Since when were you awake?"

"I've been awake since you screamed."

"O-oh. Oh…"

Aisha felt her body go from burning hot to freezing cold in a matter of seconds. _Congratulations, you just played yourself,_ said a voice in Aisha's mind.

"Did you… Did you hear everything?" asked Aisha.

"Yep. I honestly had no clue that you felt that way about me. But I'm glad, Aisha. Because… I like you too."

Elsword flashed a bright smile at Aisha after he made his confession. Her body went hot again, as joy threatened to make her shout.

"J-jeez…" she stuttered. But afterward, the mage let out small giggles that soon erupted into loud, joyful laughter.

Laughing… It was something she hadn't done in months due to the turmoil in her spirit. But it felt so good to laugh again. To be free again. To feel again.

"A-Aisha?"

"Hahahaha! You're such a dork, Els!"

"H-hey…" he whined. "You're a dork too!"

"Well, that makes us a perfect match, then!"

After she said that, a sly smile formed on Aisha's face. She snuggled up against her knight—which caused him to freeze in shock—before grabbing his cheek with her hand and brazenly kissing him full on the lips.

Now it was Elsword's turn to blush. He could do nothing but watch with wide eyes as the girl of his dreams made the first move and took him captive with her gaze and with her lips.

A scream interrupted the scene.

"Kyaaaaaa!" screamed Rena, scaring a sleeping Raven out of his wits.

At the sound of the shriek, Chung sprung into action.

"Siberias, land!" he commanded. The dragon did so, and upon landing Chung ran towards his friends.

"Hey, what the hell is going on back there?" hollered Chung in a commander-like tone. He drew his pistols out as he neared his friends.

"Chung!" screamed Rena. "Look!"

Chung had his Silver Shooters primed and ready to shoot, but instead of seeing enemies, he saw one of the strangest things he's ever seen. His itchy fingers eased from the trigger when he beheld the surreal sight. In a way, he was disappointed, because he was so ready to blow some holes into a monster.

Chung seemed strangely unfazed by the scene. But that was only because he didn't fully register it yet. When he saw the strange mixing of red and purple in the distance, he thought it was just a mirage constructed by either the sun or some lurking demon. It took three seconds for him to fully realize what was happening.

"They're…! They're…" Chung trailed off.

The Deadly Chaser's cheeks grew bright red when he finally registered what was happening right at that moment.

After a few more seconds, the two finally let go of each other. Or rather, it was Aisha who let Elsword go. He broke away with a bewildered expression before his face turned as red as his hair.

Elsword held his cheeks together as if he was trying to prevent his face from melting. His body trembled in embarrassment, and it took every ounce of strength for him not to squeal like a girl. Aisha laughed and patted him on the head.

"A-Aisha…" he stammered.

"Shhhh…" The mage put a delicate finger to his lips. "Don't say anything."

"O-okay…"

Raven nodded and smiled at the couple, and Rena was gushing like a crazy person. Eve maintained her signature poker face, and Ara was giving Aisha a thumbs up for the brave move. It seemed that all eyes were on the new couple, until Aisha spotted something a bit more interesting.

"Ara!" whispered the mage. "Look!"

Aisha pointed at a certain blonde boy standing in the distance. The Asura's face instantly lit up seeing the cute blush on Chung's face. Even more adorable was his reaction when he found out that Ara had spotted him, and how he desperately tried to hide the redness on his cheeks.

Ara squealed. "Oh my gosh! He looks so cute! Argggh, if only I was over there!"

But the boy soon turned away, and once the El Search Party settled down, they continued the journey towards the Fountain.

* * *

It was around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun continued to pelt the earth with its relentless rays. The El Search Party had taken a path through a withered forest, and each of them silently lamented its pitiful state. Naked trees zig-zagged skyward in awkward, lightning-like patterns. The forest was devoid of all life and vibrancy—the only noise to be heard was the rustling of hard branches. The soil was rigid like bedrock, allowing only the toughest vegetation to pass through it. It seemed as if the treacherous landscape bore testament to the battle that awaited them. But for Ara, it had a double meaning. The withered forest was like a physical manifestation of the loneliness and desolation that ravaged her soul.

The Asura let out a deep sigh.

"Hm? Ara, what's wrong?" asked Aisha.

"I played Cupid for you guys," she started. "But look."

She gestured towards the boy who was riding the ice dragon overhead. She stared longingly at him, and her eyes locked on his beautiful golden hair that flowed gloriously in the gentle breeze. It was a cruel tease, and Ara could feel her soul deteriorating with each second she looked at him.

"He's so close, yet so far…" lamented Ara. "I kinda feel jealous of you. You've found your love. With my help, of course."

"Yeah…" replied Aisha. "I've felt that way for months. But I think it'll work out. Somehow, I really don't think Chung will reject you. If anything, I think he likes you back, even though he seems really distant and cold. Well, except for earlier hehe."

"You're right, haha!"

"Who knows? Maybe he thinks the time isn't right," added Aisha.

"But… Do you think it'll come soon?"

"I get that feeling. I mean, he hasn't seen you in two weeks. And did you see the look on his face when he first saw us back at the fight with Chloe and Victor? He was surprised, yeah, but I noticed that he couldn't keep his eyes off of you."

"R-really!?" asked Ara excitedly.

Aisha nodded happily, and it caused a warm feeling to enter Ara's body, reinvigorating her soul. Oh, how she needed that.

"Awww! Someone's in love~" teased Aisha in a sing-song voice.

Ara giggled in response. "Yep!"

"Hey, you're already handling it better than I have."

"I know right?" Ara said with a bright smile. She then turned her eyes to the boy flying above her, and those eyes burned with hope and determination.

"Just you wait, Chung…" she whispered to herself. "I'm coming for you."

"Thaaat sounds kinda creepy…" butted in Elsword. "Ow!"

Aisha elbowed him in the kidney for what he said.

"Be quiet!" she ordered.

Elsword whined, before shutting up like he was asked to.

The rest of the ride was silent.

* * *

Several kilometers ahead…

The veil of dead trees dissipated into a clearing that held a body of water known as the Fountain of Healing.

Ran and the Raven Shadow Master were near the Fountain of Healing, and the Shadow Master rallied up a few shadow beasts. These incarnates of darkness aren't like the brainless creatures found in Stricken City. No, these were powerful and highly intelligent, and they were under the direct command of the Raven Shadow Master. The Shadow Master's voice was low and commanding, and all of the raucous creatures that he summoned stood at attention to his voice.

"You, attack the Fountain, and drive out all who are there," the looming Shadow ordered one group.

"You, defend our Lord Ran with your lives," the Shadow Master ordered the other group.

The monsters then dispersed with their respective teams, doing as they were ordered. The attacking team spread out and swarmed the Fountain of Healing. However, there were only a few pilgrims in the area, and they were driven out quickly.

"Sir," reported one monster from the attacking team. "The area's clear. There were no casualties on either side."

The Raven Shadow Master frowned at his report.

"You were too merciful," the Shadow Master seethed. "But no matter, you've done your duty. Now leave us be. I will call you when I need you."

"Yes, sir." And with that, the monsters left.

Ran turned to the Raven Shadow Master.

"Tamiel…" he called weakly.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Taint the Fountain with the Dark El."

"Consider it done, my lord."

The Shadow Master approached the desolate fountain. The water was crystal-clear, and it sparkled like a sea of tiny gems in the sun. Tamiel stretched out his hand and touched the water, and soon the water lost its sparkle as it was tainted with the Dark El.

Even when tainted, the water looked deceptively normal. In fact, the water back in the mechanical village of Altera looked far more toxic. But the water had lost its sparkle and those who frequented the Fountain of Healing would immediately know that something was wrong.

"Yes…" croaked the wounded Ran. "Bring me to the fountain, Tamiel."

The Raven Shadow Master did as he was told, and he brought the mortally wounded Dark Earl into the Fountain. There, Tamiel baptized Ran in the corrupted waters of the fountain.

The particles in the water rushed into the Dark Earl's wounds, and like magic, the wounds regenerated at an impossible speed. In the blink of an eye, the sharp wound on his shoulder caused by Chung's Voidfang sealed itself shut, and the horrible tear in his left hamstring did likewise.

But Ran screamed in pain through gritted teeth, as he felt the massive bullet from the Godstryker leaving him. The water caused the muscles in his back to push out the deeply embedded bullet, and it popped out of Ran's body through the massive bullet hole. The chunk of metal floated to the surface, mixing some of Ran's purple blood with the water. After the foreign object was removed from Ran's body, the water caused the fleshy crater to regenerate. The burned, dead flesh came alive again as cells, tissue and muscle rebuilt themselves. Soon, the tainted waters fully healed the Dark Earl, and he stepped out of the demonic baptism with new strength radiating from him.

Tamiel stood in awe as he saw his rejuvenated master rising up out of the evil waters. His skin was smooth and elegant, but hardened like tank armor, and his silver hair shined with a newfound radiance. It appeared as if his sword, the Night Siege, also received benefits from the tainted waters. It now had an eerie red glow to decorate it, and Ran could feel the intense bloodlust that emanated from the blade.

As the duo exited the waters, Ran turned to the Raven Shadow Master with a fiery look in his eye.

"Tamiel, would you lay down your life for me?"

"Yes, my lord! I would lay down my life for you!"

"Then go and do likewise! Hold off the El Search Party while I go into the Temple!"

Tamiel nodded to his master, and his genuine loyalty caused Ran to smile. Tamiel called his fleet of powerful monsters to him once again, commanding them to stand guard with him.

The giant Temple gates closed, and Tamiel and his squadron of shadow monsters stood guard at the gates. There they waited for the El Search Party as the sun burned overhead with its relentless heat.

* * *

 _Alright guys, hope you enjoyed that fluffy little chapter. In all honesty, I kinda want to write romantic scenes like that but it just feels weird to me, like I've somehow dirtied my hands every time I finish writing one. Hopefully by now you could see that my specialty is the more action-packed scenes. By the way, uploads will slow down, as college has already started for me. But I will keep them coming, and I should be able to finish this story!_

 _As always, rates and reviews are always welcome and always appreciated. Also, shoutout to PhoenixFire333 for helping me with this fanfic. You the realest MVP._


	6. Guardians at the Gate

**Chapter 6: Guardians at the Gate**

* * *

The El Search Party took a clear path that winded through the shroud of dead trees. Instead of flying, Chung was now riding on the ground with the rest of his friends. He still took point, but he wasn't as far away as he was earlier.

The soil was hardened like stone, betraying no secret in its smooth, sandstone appearance. Chung studied it as hard as he could, but found nothing. His brow was furrowed, and a cold sweat enveloped him in its sinister embrace as he feared that they might've lost Ran.

 _Could he… Could he even be here?_ He mused. _No… He has to be at the Fountain! I wounded him badly! It would be foolish for him not to heal himself there. Or maybe… Maybe he expects us to follow him there. Argh! I don't know!_

The Deadly Chaser sighed exasperatedly as he ruffled his hair.

"Chung?" asked a worried voice behind him. He immediately sighed; it was Ara.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

A part of him automatically wanted to respond with "I'm fine." But he didn't say that. He didn't want to lie to her. Not anymore.

"No…" he finally replied, with his back still turned to her as they rode their mounts through the withered forest.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I don't even know if we're going the right way. The soil here is so hard that there are literally no footsteps to be seen. Ran might be—wait a minute…"

Chung paused, and he ordered his ice dragon to stop. Everyone else stopped, and they all stood still in the middle of the forest, confused as to why they were stopping.

"What is it?" whispered Ara.

"Do you smell that?," replied Chung. "It's something really familiar."

He closed his eyes, and a slideshow of recent memories rode past his mind like a fast train. He skimmed each one, quickly yet thoroughly, remembering all of the smells that were associated with each one.

He remembered the smells of blood, dust, sweat, burnt gunpowder. But none rang a bell. Until Chung remembered seeing the Shadow Master. It was only for a split second, when Ran had struck him and sent him flying. At that moment, Chung could remember the smell very clearly.

It was a distinct, indescribable odor of rotting flesh. It was as if a body was neither dead nor alive. The smell of the undead? Could such a thing even exist? But it was there, and Chung remembered that smell.

Then his eyes flickered open, and he saw the open road before him as the forest finally revealed to him all of its mysteries.

"He's up ahead," he finally answered. "Let's go."

* * *

They found a clearing, and the shroud of dead trees dissipated to reveal a lake of water. The water didn't glisten like it usually did, and Chung could tell that Ran had done something to the water.

"He's definitely here," said the Deadly Chaser. "Wait… He's in the temple!"

Past the Fountain loomed the Temple of Water. It's immense structure appeared to crash down on Chung and his friends, yet it remained as still as a statue in the relentless sunlight. The temple gates were two solid slabs of stone, and at the base of the gates stood a sentry of demons.

Immediately, Chung rushed at full speed towards the temple gates.

"Chung! Wait!" bellowed Elsword. "He probably has traps everywhere!"

That made Chung slow down from his mad charge. But he continued at a quickened pace towards the temple gates, allowing his friends to catch up with him.

He held the Silver Shooters in his hand, and his index fingers ached for the sweet pull of the trigger and the ecstatic bang that would ensue. He longed for it, thirsted for it…

He thirsted for vengeance. Vengeance for everything that Ran had done to him, his friends, his family, his nation. Strange lights flickered within those deep blue eyes as wrathful adrenaline pumped in his veins.

As expected, the El Search Party met with a convoy of demons. The Raven Shadow Master and his underlings stood guard at the temple gates.

"We've been expecting you…" boomed the Shadow Master. "Welcome…"

The Shadow Master stretched out his hand and traced the skies, as if he was showing them his imaginary kingdom.

"...To hell!"

As if on cue, the demons all rushed at the Deadly Chaser.

* * *

Chung contemplated slaughtering them all at once with the Voidfang. But it seemed as if all eight demons were wary of his blade. They had armguards on their arms, and they shielded their throats with them. There was no easy way out of this battle.

The Deadly Chaser was surrounded, and with each second the circle became tighter. With the demons closing in, he timed his counterattack perfectly. Once the demons were close enough, he leapt into the air with the Destroyer in his hands. He fired downwards to his the group with a rocket, as well as to propel himself upwards. As he pirouetted in the air, he fired a barrage of bullets from his Silver Shooters at the disoriented mass. Once he landed, he finished his attack with a shot from the Godstryker.

" _Bullet Blitz!"_

The massive round exited the barrel with an uncanny blue light. The bullet tore through two demon skulls, before the strange light caused it to ricochet and hit all of the demons at once. The first two demons were killed instantly, and the rest of them were wounded by the bullet as it bounced back and forth before disintegrated.

Two down, six to go.

Chung eyed the remaining combatants as he reloaded his cannon. He also kept tabs on the Raven Shadow Master, who was standing back, watching the fight.

Seeing his attack, the rest of the El Search Party wasn't about to let Chung fight alone.

Not anymore.

They drew their weapons and prepared for a brutal standoff with the group of sentries.

The remaining six enemies regrouped, staying close to each other. One demon with a massive body and arms that resembled the temple gates stood forward, guarding its allies with its gigantic shield-arms.

Behind it, two demons drew out bows and began shooting. They were quick to draw, and even quicker to fire. Soon, black arrows eclipsed the sun as they rose and fell. The El Search Party could do nothing but scramble for cover from the rain of arrows.

"Distract the big one! I'll snipe the Shadow Archers!" Chung bellowed.

His friends nodded, and they rushed the goliathan demon as Chung raced towards a high rock near the tainted Fountain.

" _X Crash!"_ yelled Raven. The Reckless Fist slashed at the arms with his Nasod claws, pelting it with explosions. Yet the arms stood undeterred, and the arrows kept flying.

The demon archers could only target a specific area at a time—they couldn't shower the whole battlefield. So the El Search Party split up into groups, and Chung took refuge atop a high rock. There he lay down and placed his rifle on the rock. Through the scope, he watched his teammates try to distract and lure away the defender, but the demon remained steadfast.

"It's not working! We're gonna have to force him to move!" yelled Elsword.

"Right! We gotta hit him with something big!" yelled back Raven.

"Let's go then! _Gigantic Slash!_ "

" _Infernal Arms!"_

The two swordsmen combined their ultimate skills against the defender, and this time the combined attack penetrated the Shadow Defender's arms. That was only after the first swing in Elsword's Gigantic Slash and in Raven's Infernal Arms.

Consecutive hits followed, and the Shadow Defender was torn to bloody shreds after the two swordsmen finished their attack.

"Perfect…" muttered Chung.

 _Btoooom!_

The shot rang out, and one of the demon archers was sent flying back as blood erupted from its neck where its head once was.

The other Shadow Archer caught wind of Chung's attacks. He turned his attention to the Deadly Chaser, and began firing arrows in his direction. The black arrows rained down on him, not only pelting him but blocking his view of the demon archer.

Chung blew into his dog whistle, and Siberias flew in from the skies and breathed his icy dragonbreath at the incoming arrows. The arctic blast blew away the arrows, and for a brief moment, gave Chung a clear view of his target.

A moment was all he needed.

 _Btoooom!_

The remaining Shadow Archer was sent flying back with a gaping hole in its chest. Bones flew out of the gaping chest crater as the body flew, and it landed on top of the other Shadow Archer in a heaping pile of gore.

"Snipers down, move up!" Chung bellowed to his teammates. He holstered his sniper rifle before jumping down from the high rock.

After the two archers, there remained two more demons. Their bodies were pitch black in color, but neon blue tattoos outlined their bodies. They each had one left arm, but on their right side was a lanyard of black vines twisted together to form something like a whip. The Shadow Rushers positioned themselves back to back as the El Search Party trapped them in a circle.

"Enough!"

All eyes turned to the source of the voice, which was the Raven Shadow Master. The looming Shadow raised his arms to the skies before disappearing in a black blur. He reappeared just outside the circle, right behind Rena.

The Grand Archer turned around, with her bow already drawn back, and let loose a _Freezing Arrow_. The Raven Shadow Master casually deflected the lightning fast arrow like it was nothing, before quickly grabbing Rena's wrist and disarming her of her bow.

For a monster that big, his movements were surprisingly quick and reflexive. The Raven Shadow Master twisted Rena's arm until she sank down to her knees in pain.

"My, my…" he started. "I haven't even introduced myself, and you already attack me."

Tips of swords and spears touched the Shadow Master's throat. Or what appeared to be his throat, anyway.

The Raven Shadow Master continued his introduction, ignoring the two blades that were aimed at his abdomen rather than his throat.

"My name is Tamiel. Pleased to meet you."

"Oh you won't be meeting us. You'll be meeting my sword," taunted Elsword. "Now let us through."

Tamiel shook his head, quite disgusted by the arrogance of this red-haired boy. He struck Elsword with a vicious backhand, sending the Lord Knight falling onto the ground. Raven reacted with a quick sword thrust, but his blade met with nothing but air.

After teleporting, Tamiel reappeared in the middle of the circle, and he raised his arms high into the air. Suddenly, a black-purple vortex appeared in the sky, eclipsing the afternoon sun.

" _Black Rain!"_

The winds changed direction as pitch black spheres hurdled down from the vortex like meteors. The spheres exploded upon contact with the ground. The vortex grew, eclipsing not only the sun but the sky itself. A thick darkness shrouded the land. Any fire or light was immediately snuffed out by the darkness, and no one could see.

The entire party was badly hurt by the attack, but Chung received only minimal damage. During the attack, the explosions did very little to hurt the Deadly Chaser, as his Freiturnier acted as a flak jacket to sponge most of the splash damage.

However, Chung couldn't see at all in Tamiel's dome of utter blackness. Chung was tempted to fire recklessly into veil, but he didn't, as he feared that he would hit one of his teammates. He could hear their cries of pain and confusion, and it fueled the anger that burned within him.

He slowly inched forwards with his grip on the handle of the Destroyer, eyes closed and ears twitching. Eyes were useless, but in the absence of one sense, the others would become heightened. Chung stood still, listening for footsteps. Elsword tried to light a match, Aisha tried to use magic to create light, and Eve tried to use her lasers to provide illumination, but it was all dispelled within the oppressive darkness. Everyone was blinded.

Everyone except Tamiel and the two Shadow Rushers. They could see their enemies perfectly. After all, the darkness was their domain. They knew how to move in it, to breathe in it, to live in it. The darkness was their friend, their _only_ friend. But it would be no friend to these people who dared defy the will of their lord.

Tamiel swore silently to himself. He would drag each and every one of these blasphemers kicking and screaming into the void.

The three demons spread out like killers hunting their prey, creeping around like assassins in the night. They approached cautiously, but in their hearts they boasted, thinking that they had secured the victory. But they made one grave miscalculation.

Chung was also a friend to the darkness.

Remembering the Freiturnier's higher capabilities, the Deadly Chaser smashed his Destroyer into the ground. Though the impact did nothing to dispel the darkness, a bright light momentarily pushed back the black veil as Chung transformed into his Berserker form. His armor and cannon remained the same, but his face was now covered with a white hood. A white mask was also wrapped around his mouth, giving him the appearance of a dangerous hitman. To top it off, his eyes blazed like bright blue embers that pierced the darkness.

Now Chung could see as clearly as day. But the world was painted in strange colors. The sky was gray and dull, and the sun was a faded white ball hanging low in the mundane sky. The Temple and the surrounding forest were all black and white, and the shadows they cast were an oily black.

Chung saw Tamiel and the two Shadow Rushers slowly approaching him and his friends, thinking they were invisible. It was highly unlikely that they were aware that he could see them, so Chung wandered aimlessly, feigning blindness.

Slowly, he inched towards one of the Rushers. The two Shadow Rushers weren't too far apart, but it would be best if Chung were to take them out at the same time. But once he did that, Tamiel would know.

It would be a long standoff; there was no getting around that. The only way to get inside the Temple was through the Shadow Master, and Chung had a feeling that he wasn't going to go down easily.

In a sick, twisted way, that made Chung excited. At home, he was taught to protect. Out in the battlefield, he learned to kill. At first it disgusted him, but over time it became as natural a job as selling goods is for a merchant. It was his trade, his duty. It was what he did to survive. It was what he did to protect.

The first Rusher was close now and his partner wasn't far behind.

It was time to strike.

In a swift move, Chung drew out his Voidfang and plunged the blade into the demon's neck, instantly killing it. The blade lingered in the body, and the demon's skin turned from dark purple to a light lavender as the Voidfang drained it of its blood.

The other Rusher found out that its comrade had just been slain, and it began yelling.

It was a distorted, warped version of a human shriek. The closest thing Chung could connect to that horrible sound was the sound of a digitally distorted shriek, as if a human soul was trapped within the cybernetic confines of a computer. All of the muscles seemed in Chung's body to turn within him at the sound.

The last Shadow Rusher turned its body, causing its whipping arm to lash out like lightning. The tip struck Chung's armor with a thunderous crack. Chung's Freiturnier bore the brunt of the brutal laceration, but it didn't prevent him from staggering backwards from the force.

Before Chung could recover, the Shadow Rusher's whip-arm launched out again and wrapped itself around his neck. That move would've subdued anybody, as the vine threatened to snap his neck. However, Chung kept it at bay with his right hand. He flicked his left wrist, attempting to cut the whip arm, but the vine was strong. Chung sawed and sawed, and each motion sliced deeper into the vine as it grew tighter and tighter around his neck and hand. But as he sawed off the demon's whip arm, he heard no reaction. There were no grunts or screams of pain. No flinching.

Nothing.

That terrified him.

One final slash, and Chung was freed from the whip arm. It sank from his shoulders and fell limply on the ground like a dead vine. Chung crushed it underfoot for good measure, and it disintegrated into dust and vanished into the murky blackness. He turned to face the Shadow Rusher.

The Rusher stared back at him with the same intensity as bright amethyst eyes pierced the veil. The Rusher lunged at him with its remaining left arm. But Chung caught the punch with his left hand and squeezed it tightly, dislocating knuckles and crushing finger-bones. Shockwaves of pain erupted in the demon's arms, but the Rusher made no expression of pain or weakness.

That would be blasphemy, an insult towards all that Lord Ran had worked for.

But although the demon did not react, it did pause. Chung used that small window of time, and plunged his blade deep into the Rusher's abdomen. As his dagger drained the demon of its blood, Chung stared down the demon once again. Blazing blue eyes penetrated deep into the demon's soul. As he stared it down, Chung swore that he saw the slightest hint of a tear dripping down the demon's face. Then, to Chung's surprise, the demon mouthed its dying words.

"Help… Us…" it croaked.

Then the fire in its eyes died, and the now light lavender body hung limply like dead weight in Chung's arms.

The Cimmerian shade lifted, and the sun was shining brightly again. The strange colors of the world returned to their normal palette of blues and whites.

Chung stood there, two dead bodies right beside him, hood over his head and his blade drawn.

The Voidfang was clean, as if it had never been used for the dirty work it had just finished. However, it had changed. It was no longer the pure vantablack blade that it once was. Rather, the blackness of the blade was overlaid by mists of different colors, as if souls was trapped within the confines of the blade itself.

The Raven Shadow Master trembled, and Chung could swear he could hear the looming shadow sobbing. But whether it was real or not, Chung would never know.

No one would, because by the time the sun sets, one of the two parties would be lying sprawled all over the ground like crushed insects.

"Their names…" started Tamiel. "Were Remiel and Aarin…"

"And?" replied Chung coldly, his blazing eyes piercing holes into Tamiel's soul.

"Did they fight well?"

"Only one of them did."

The Deadly Chaser's voice was low and icy, and even the Raven Shadow Master felt chills glaciating his entire body.

Fear… Is that what it felt like? It was Tamiel's holy duty to strike fear into the hearts of man. It was even more important that killing men and laying waste their cities. Fear was Tamiel's greatest weapon, and now it has turned against him. He felt the icy tip of his own trusty sword tracing eerie lines all across his body as the Deadly Chaser stared him down.

The moment hung in the still afternoon air. Yet it was not silent. Faint grunts of pain could be heard as Elsword, Raven, and Eve were helping to patch everyone up. They too, suffered minimal damage from Tamiel's _Black Rain_ , but their comrades suffered more. Amidst the wincing, gasps could also be heard, as some of Chung's wounded friends saw the duel that was unfolding.

Tamiel swallowed his fear and turned it into rage. He lunged at the Deadly Chaser with a primal war cry. As he charged, he drew his hand back as his claws began to shine. Tamiel put all of his fear, hatred, patriotism, and loyalty in that one attack.

Tamiel broke into a mad charge. His body became like a black fireball headed straight for the Deadly Chaser. But the boy merely stood there, blade drawn and right hand on the handle of his Destroyer.

The Raven Shadow Master swung both of his claws for all he was worth, and the sheer power of the x-slash kicked up gale force winds. The swing cracked the earth and swayed the dead trees in the distance, even though the claws made contact with absolutely nothing.

After jumping above the attack, Chung landed behind Tamiel and smacked the shadow in the back with his Destroyer. That put him in _Siege Shelling_ stance, and he let the missiles fly at point blank range. After emptying the Destroyer, he broke the stance with a skyward smack.

But Chung wasn't done. He hit Tamiel again with _Reload_ , putting three fresh rounds into the Destroyer. Then he swung and swung, putting one cannonball into the Destroyer with each relentless swing.

The Shadow Master managed to dodge some of Chung's swings, and those brief moments allowed him time to prepare a counterattack. Tamiel's claws grew bright purple before he slashed, but Chung blocked the blow with his Destroyer and launched a counterattack of his own.

" _Lunatic Blow!"_

Chung began smashing the ground at Tamiel's feet with intense anger. He pulled the trigger with each smash, and each trigger pull caused an explosion to go off right at Tamiel's feet. Tamiel could feel his body being pulverized with each explosion, and he fought so hard just to keep standing. Chung finished it off with an upward swing that sent the Raven Shadow Master flying.

Right into the arms of his friends.

"End him!" bellowed Chung.

Elsword, Raven and Eve jumped up like hungry wolves at the flying shadow. But they were stopped dead in their tracks when an orange blur moved behind them. Before they could register it, a familiar spear bore right through the abdomen of the flying shadow. Tamiel lay there, impaled through the stomach, staring right at Ara with dying eyes.

He struggled, but the Raven Shadow Master could do nothing as he hung between life and death on the shaft of her spear. His body went limp, and then Ara swung her spear like a baseball bat and sent his body flying limply onto the ground. It landed with a faint thud, like the sound of clothes landing on a soft bed.

Tamiel did not rise.

Ara's spear was painted with Tamiel's glossy black blood. She turned around and spun the spear like a drill, whirling black droplets everywhere. She grunted when some of the blood remained on her spear, clinging to it stubbornly.

* * *

Chung walked toward them, with the cannon on his back. He had the Godstryker in his hands, and he stood there waiting for everyone to get ready. But Ara noticed that he was avoiding her gaze. She knew why.

She had betrayed him before. Here.

And he was afraid that she was going to traumatize him all over again.

The sun beat down on them as they stood still, each of them being frozen by the immense tension that hung in the air.

"Let's go," said Chung. "Ran's up ahead. If you wish to turn back… I won't blame you."

"As if! We didn't fight all this way just so we could leave!" replied Elsword.

"He's right," agreed Aisha.

Chung's lips pursed and his golden locks dappled his face with moving shadows. He met no one's gaze, his blue eyes staring into the distant nothing.

Catching what he truly meant, everyone became silent. Each of them turned slightly to look at Ara, who stood eyeing the blonde who stood at a distance. After a while, Chung finally mustered up the courage to meet her gaze, and he looked at her with weary, pleading eyes.

 _Please… Let me do this…_ he begged silently.

She shook her head and stared softly back at him.

"No. I must go with you," she finally said.

He smiled, nodded, and turned away, expecting her to say that. In a way he was comforted—she still cared about him.

They all followed him to the Temple gates, and he turned to them one more time.

"There's no going back after this…" Chung said to them, his voice low and grim.

With that, he pressed his palms against the Temple gates. The doors were like a pair of twin megaliths fashioned into tall shapes that ended in curves so that both doors conformed to the shape of an impossibly tall pointed arch. Chung pushed with all of his might, but the gates did not move. He pushed harder and harder and harder, his body trembling with effort.

Yet the gates remained adamant.

A wave of surprise shook the tired Chung when he felt two slender hands sliding over his.

Ara.

He breathed out and smiled when he felt her standing behind him.

For this first time in a long time, Chung smiled. Ara smiled too. They pushed together with all their might, and this time, the impossibly huge temple gates gave way, the sound of grinding stone echoing all around them.

"Ah!"

Chung yelped as he tripped forward. Even with Ara's help, he strained so hard to push the doors that when they gave way, nothing was there to hold him.

Except Ara.

She caught him from behind in a gentle embrace, wrapping her arms quickly but gently around his torso to prevent him from falling.

"Are you okay?" Ara asked innocently.

"Y-yeah…" replied Chung, an adorable blush forming on his face.

Ara giggled hearing his reply; his stuttering was so cute! It totally broke the "badass" facade that Chung had been holding the whole time.

Ara rested her chin on his shoulder and held him there for a moment, swaying back and forth slowly in the hot breeze. She cherished every second of it. It was only a hug, but it felt so… wonderful.

"A-Ara…" he stammered cutely. "You're p-pressing against me…"

"O-oh," she replied, realizing what she was doing. She let go of him. "S-sorry…" _I couldn't help it._

"I-it's… It's fine," said Chung, only slightly turning towards her. Ara caught a glimpse of the pink streak across his face, and she thought it was the cutest thing in the world.

"Hey!"

A voice broke the moment and brought the two back to reality.

"Come on, you lovebirds. We gotta go!" continued Aisha.

"Alright, alright!" said Chung, his face getting even redder. He jogged into the vast corridor, eager to get away from the situation. But Ara trailed behind him, a sly look forming on her face. She kept that hidden for now, as the party ventured their way into the Halls of Water.

* * *

 _ **First off, I'm super duper sorry that it took so long for me to update. Ever since college started, the pace of my life has gone from 0 to 100 real quick. That Computer Engineering is no joke. But it feels awesome to finally update this again. I really don't want this fic to die. I'm gonna try my best to finish it! The ship will sail, and it will make landfall!**_

 _ **Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was mostly action, but I did spice in some romance here in the end. Would definitely appreciate your feedback on that, as writing romance isn't really my strong suit. I think that writing this kind of soft romance is fine, it doesn't make me feel kind of "Ew" after writing it.**_

 _ **But anyways, ratings and reviews are always appreciated. I'll see you on the next one. Peace.**_


	7. Good Night

**Chapter 7: Good Night**

* * *

An endless corridor opened up before them. Grand arches made of heavy stone and engraved with ancient knowledge were lined up with each other. But there were no enemies in sight. No grand armies or swaths of demons awaiting their arrival.

Tamiel and his eight demons were the only defense force.

And now, they were dead.

Was Ran playing a joke? Why would he go into the Temple with anything less than an army of demons? That was the case last time when the El Search Party had fought him. They had to cut down numerous enemies—Victor and Chloe included—in order to get to Ran. But here, it was just one straight path.

Their eyes all narrowed.

"Something's not right…" breathed Raven.

"Yeah… This has to be a trap," agreed Elsword.

"I'll send in Moby and Remy ahead to check for traps," chimed in Eve.

The Battle Seraph's drones flew out from behind her. They circled each other like a system of binary stars, scanning for anything that might be hidden and dangerous.

They found nothing.

"That's a relief…" said Elsword.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be careful. Who knows? They might've missed something," added Ara.

Eve cringed silently at her statement, but she kept it to herself.

They all moved forward slowly, each of them taking soft footsteps.

"Tread lightly…" breathed Chung.

The grand arches loomed silently over them, and the deafening silence enveloped all of the temple. The corridors were huge, and any sound would've been amplified by the echoing walls.

But still, there was nothing. Only the slightest sound of footsteps that the party made.

After the first thirty minutes they eased their guard, but not by much. They began to walk slightly faster, and at this point the corridors began to get much darker and darker.

"Should we risk a light?" whispered Chung.

"I don't know…" replied Ara.

"Don't you have night vision, Chung? What was that back there?" asked Aisha.

"Only when my Freiturnier is active. It's down right now," explained Chung.

"Shh!"

A sharp hiss cut through the air, commanding the two to be quiet.

* * *

They continued through the corridor, and it seemed as if it got considerably darker every 100 steps or so. Soon, it was almost totally pitch black.

"You guys still there? I can't see anything," whispered Chung.

"We're here," they replied.

The sound of their voices reassured him. Unless… Unless they were just the voices of demons mimicking the sound of his friends. He had heard of stories where such a thing has happened. Some poor soul ventures out into the wilderness to find a lost loved one. He hears his voice, but does not see him. And it turns out that the voice came from a lurking demon, and the creature would pounce.

Out in the woods.

All alone, with no one to hear the cries of the dying.

Should he turn around? A civil war broke out in Chung's mind over that simple question. If he doesn't turn around, an enemy could possibly get the drop on him. If he does, he might startle his friends (if they are his friends) and cause a ruckus. That ruckus might very well attract any enemies that are nearby.

Chung's body trembled with paranoia, and his armor seemed to rattle along with it.

A hand gripped his shoulder.

Before he even knew it, Chung dashed forward, turned around, and drew out his pistol. He turned on the tactical flashlight on his pistol to reveal the enemy.

It was Ara.

Everyone stopped in confusion.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked a slightly irritated Raven.

"Sorry. Thought it was an enemy." replied Chung as he regained his cool. His finger eased from the trigger, and with trembling hands he turned off the tactical light and put the pistol back in its holster.

They continued on.

Raven caught up to Ara and whispered in her ear.

"You might wanna keep an eye on Chung. He's losing it."

"I know…" breathed Ara. "But I don't know if I should be the one to do it."

"But you're the closest one to him."

"Raven…"

"He's… He's a ticking time bomb, Ara."

"How?"

"I can feel it. He's radiating this… exhausted vibe. I can tell that he's so tired, yet something inside of him prevents him from resting. He won't stop until whatever it is he's trying to accomplish gets done."

"Aren…" Ara stifled a sob inside of her.

"I know… I know… That's why I need you to keep an eye on him. If he keeps pushing himself like this, he's going to break."

"O-okay… I'll keep an eye on him."

* * *

Finally, they reached a dead end. Or so it seemed.

The tiniest amount of light projected itself into the pitch black floor. It wasn't a dead end. It was a door.

Chung braced his right arm on the door and moved it. The door seemed quite massive, but unlike the Temple gates it moved with the effort of only one person. A faint grinding sound could be heard, terminated with a near-silent bang indicating that the door was as wide open as it could be.

They proceeded through the door.

This time, they ended up in a gigantic, well-lit cathedral. Stained glass windows that depicted epic scenes from ancient times displayed themselves in the cold, blue walls. Moonlight filtered in through a domic skylight overhead.

The beam of light shined the strongest directly below the skylight, and that light concentrated itself around a throne.

The throne was massive, so massive that not even two Victors would be enough to fill the seat. Elaborate carvings decorated the gold legs and armrests. The throne was placed atop a pyramid-like structure, where the sides of the pyramids were slanted except for a stairway that led directly up to the throne.

The stairway was made of bricks of gold and silver, and the light made the throne glow with an eerie silver light.

But what made the El Search Party freeze in surprise wasn't the magnificence of the church-like throne room that they were in. It was the person who was sitting on the throne.

Ran.

That's why there were no monsters defending the inside of the Temple. He was waiting for them.

The Dark Earl was sitting cross-legged on the throne, with a silver chalice hanging loosely from his left hand. He swirled the strange wine inside the chalice and took a slow sip. He tossed the chalice to the side, and it landed with a faint clang as it spilled the last of the drink that was in it.

The strange fluid flowed out of the cup and moved as if it had a mind of its own, filling the cracks between the bricks that made up the pyramid. Once the liquid disappeared into the pyramid, the cracks began to emit a strange red glow.

Ran got up off the throne…

And disappeared into a black mist.

That disappearance broke the spell that held Chung and his friends frozen on the ground. They were instantly alert, hands reaching for their weapons in case Ran tried to blindside them.

"Behind you!" a voice yelled. But it did no good.

As Chung turned around, Ran reappeared right in front of him and delivered a savage sucker punch to his stomach. Chung clenched his stomach and swallowed hard, fighting the vomit that threatened to escape.

But before he could react, the Dark Earl grabbed him by the throat with the same hand, and tossed him to the far side of the room like he was garbage. The Destroyer fell to the ground as he flew away.

But the Deadly Chaser… No, the Prince of Hamel wouldn't be disgraced like that. As he flew through the air, Chung raised up the Godstryker as fast as he could, but he didn't have time to aim, so he just pulled the trigger.

In a split second, Ran's body was flung aside like a ragdoll as a gigantic bullet made brutal contact with the side of his head. But this time, there was no flying gore. The tainted Fountain had given Ran more power, so that his skin was like armor and even his hair was like a shield.

Chung landed on his back with a thud, but fortunately he maneuvered in such a way that he didn't suffer too much damage.

He rolled over onto a prone position, slamming the magazine of the Godstryker onto the ground. His head was spinning, and he fought hard not to puke. But once his head began to clear, so did Ran's.

Despite the pounding in his head, Chung worked the bolt as fast as he could. He aimed the Godstryker at the downed Ran. By this time, his friends began to surround the Dark Earl, and Chung had to be careful not to shoot any one of them.

From a distance, Raven saw the glint of light reflecting off of the scope, and he immediately knew what was about to happen.

"Move aside!" he yelled to his teammates, and they did so.

The shot rang out, and another bullet hit Ran in the back. Chung wanted another headshot, but couldn't afford it because of his pounding headache.

He just couldn't hold the rifle still enough for one, and even though it was out of his control, he cursed himself for it.

After the shot, Chung's friends sprang into action. Elsword dashed forward and kicked Ran in the jaw. That kick only flipped him over so that Ran was on his back. The quick-thinking Earl delivered a low kick to the knee in return, knocking Elsword onto the floor. With a push of his palm, Ran righted himself from the ground almost instantly and swung downward with his sword. Elsword only barely managed to lift his sword in a defensive position to stop the lethal blow.

Another blade flashed, and Raven delivered a brutal slash attack across Ran's chest. But something felt off about the strike. It didn't feel like the sword made contact with skin. No… It felt like the sword made contact with stone.

Ran flashed the bewildered Reckless Fist an evil smile.

His hand moved with inhuman speed, almost dissipating into a gray blur. And all of a sudden, Raven was sent flying back from a brutal punch to the chest.

Elsword tried to counter with a punch to the chest, but soon regretted it, as his hand felt like several bones had fractured.

Ran quickly swiped across Elsword face with his claws, before kicking the boy aside effortlessly.

Next, Aisha, Rena, and Eve directed long range attacks at Ran. Eve spammed her Linear Divider, Aisha repeatedly casted with Chain Lightning, and Rena pelted him with Freezing Arrows.

While he was enduring these attacks, another shot rang out, and parts of Ran's armor exploded. Ran grunted in frustration, and his body began to glow red.

A manifestation of a massive hand covered in a black, metal gauntlet appeared right above Chung. It swiped down on the unwary sniper, breaking his armor and ripping sweet flesh.

The pain was brutal, and Chung could feel the blood trickling down his back. He rolled over, and saw the evil gauntlet floating over him, almost as if it was laughing at his pain.

Unacceptable.

The hand sweeped downward with an open palm, as if it was going to crush an insect standing unwarily on a desk. But this insect was by no means unwary. Chung quickly drew out his black blade and plunged it right into the palm.

It dissipated without a trace.

Seeing this, a ring of red glyphs appeared around Ran's wrists. A thick darkness covered a corner of the room, and from it emerged two enemies.

They were Fallen Red Knights, knights that once protected Hamel but were now controlled by demonic influence. But they weren't ordinary knights. These particular soldiers were once Red Knight Commanders. Cracks were visible in their special commander's armor, but they were filled in and made whole again with a strange substance resembling obsidian. An eerie red light was trickling through the holes in their helmets, and it illuminated the gigantic claymores in their hands.

Chung didn't have the energy to get up off the floor. So, in a desperate last stand, he drew out both pistols and started shooting. But one of the knights dashed forward and kicked the boy, knocking a Silver Shooter aside. Chung tried a counterattack using the Voidfang, but the knight grabbed him by the left wrist and began punching him over and over in the stomach. He could do nothing as this brutal monster pulverized him. In the distance, Chung would see through blood and tears that the other knight was just standing there, watching with his sword planted onto the ground.

Chung raised his head one last time to meet the monster's eyes, and felt cold sweeping throughout his entire body. His baby blue eyes stared into an evil red matrix. As they had their little staring contest, the Fallen Commander reached out with his other hand and pried the other Silver Shooter from Chung's cold, dead hands. Defying death till the last, Chung kicked the demon in his knee. The Fallen Commander flinched, giving time for Chung to reach for his other Silver Shooter.

He didn't hesitate to let loose his fury. One after another, Chung shot and shot. There was no need to reload, as the bullets were made straight from his mana.

But soon his mana ran dry, and the demon looked menacingly at him. But Chung didn't relent. Foreseeing desperate moments like this, Chung had placed real, high-velocity, high-explosive rounds inside his Silver Shooters.

"You think I'm done!?" he screamed before pulling the trigger.

The blast was louder than anything he had shot before, even louder than the thunderclap of his Godstryker. The demon holding him grunted and threw his head back from the vicious impact. But when the bullet exploded, shrapnel flew everywhere, wounding them both. But Chung didn't care, he wasn't going to go down like a submissive dog.

Two more explosive rounds blew open the Demon's armor, revealing withered flesh revived by demonic black blood. But the shrapnel also blew open Chung's Freiturnier, and several shards embedded themselves in his chest and abdomen.

This time, the demon acted. Before letting Chung could unleash the fourth round, the Fallen Commander kicked him, snapping his arm and forcing his fingers to release the gun. Then the demon tore off Chung's Voidfang, and buried the blade into his abdomen.

A harsh, blood-muffled scream erupted from Chung's throat.

Even with the blade in his stomach, Chung strained his hardest against the demon. His fingers wrapped around the demon's wrist like an iron vine, his face curled into a shape of utter desperation.

Chung Seiker… He would be a hero by even the strictest of standards. His mighty acts are already being praised all throughout the land. The Prince and Guardian of Hamel, but also the Tracker of Death! His strength, his endurance, his wisdom, and all other characteristics with which men of war are judged… He exceeded all the others. Yet despite all of this, he was not God. For even heroes get tired.

The fallen commander kicked the arm that held his wrist, and a disgusting cracking sound was heard.

"Aaahh!" he bellowed, as blood gushed from his mouth.

The scream was so loud that it seemed to freeze the whole room. Tiny particles in the light shone like golden dust as the room was held hostage by the deafening silence.

"Chuuuung!" A feral scream broke the silence.

Ara's entire body tensed before she broke into a mad rush in Chung's direction. The monster turned his head slightly to meet the Asura's insane gaze, almost mocking her.

He stood there as she ran toward him, the barrel of the stolen Silver Shooter now touching Chung's forehead. That picture would forever be burned into Ara's memory with the branding iron of unspeakable loss.

 _No!_ Chung screamed in his mind. _I've gotten so..._

 _Bang!_

He landed on the ground with a thud so faint, yet it could be heard miles away.

Ara broke.

Seeing the murder of someone she loved so much filled her with all manner of horror and rage.

She felt the cold air almost freeze her in place, as the little girl inside of her wanted to break down and cry right then and there. But the warrior inside of her pushed her onward. Even Eun, the fox spirit inside of her, filled her with wrath to keep her going.

In the end, the warrior Ara won.

She took an El Essence from her cloak and shattered it with her bare hands, and the fragments surrounded her in an eerie amber glow.

Even Ran, as he fought with the three girls, paused momentarily at the sight.

" _Millennium Fox!"_

All of a sudden the whole room was shrouded in a darkness that dominated any shred of light there was left. Eun manifested herself in physical form as a giant fox, howling menacingly at the ceiling. Bolts of yellow lightning razed the entire cathedral, burning everything in sight.

Including her friends.

Rena, Aisha, and Eve strained to drag their wounded to safety as all hell broke loose in church. Giant chunks of gold and silver from the pyramid were sent flying from the sheer force of the thunder. Even Ran dashed away to find cover, unable to escape unscathed by Ara's wrath.

A lightning bolt instantly took out the distant knight, as it hit directly where he was standing, vaporizing his body into a heap of molten metal that emitted a cloud of foul gas. The Commander that executed Chung was a bit quicker than his friend, sprinting at full speed towards cover. Some of the bolts hit him, and each one wounded him badly, but he survived.

Ara followed suit in hot pursuit of vengeance, her spear blazing with fury.

She jumped high into the air and rained down upon the Fallen Commander like fire from heaven. She held her spear high above her, aiming to split the monster in half with a brutal swing.

Her spear was stopped by the Commander's claymore held in a defensive position, to which the demon pushed upwards to break her assault.

While this was happening, Ran turned around and sprinted towards Ara. Aisha, Rena, and Eve followed suit, but he soon outran them, and their spells were neutralized by the magically sealed walls and stained glass windows.

 _Behind you!_ Warned Eun.

Taking heed of the spirit's warning, Ara turned slightly to see her possessed brother running at her with sword in hand. Timing it perfectly, she leapt high into the air just as he swung.

" _Black Destiny!"_ the demon yelled as he drove his sword into the ground like a hammer. Purple circles with elaborate inscriptions appeared momentarily on the ground, before a black flame burst forth. However, Ara was already far away from the attack. But the rushing darkness hit the Fallen Commander straight in the chest. The blast tore the minion apart, sending petrified body parts flying.

Ran dashed past the falling debris to meet his little sister. She landed on the ground and faced him, locking onto his blood red eyes as he sprinted. She knew that this was a different fight. Last time, she showed mercy to him, hoping that somehow light would find its way into his heart. But as she stared into the eyes of what was once her beloved older brother, she found only decadence. She felt a twinge of pity for him, but it was quickly doused by her intense anger and hurt.

He had taken Chung from her, and that was unforgivable.

The two enveloped each other in a violent clash. They slashed at each other with phantom claws. Finally catching up to them, Aisha, Rena and Eve arrived to provide long range support.

* * *

Quite a distance behind, Elsword and Raven hobbled along, relying on each other to keep standing. They made their way to the carcass of their friend. With careful movement, Raven kneeled and flipped the body over so that it was laying on its back. The damage was horrifying. Chung's black blade was embedded deeply inside his stomach, and it took an ample amount of effort to pry it out.

Chung stared at the ceiling with forlorn eyes. It was as if he had ached to tell someone something once all of this was over, but such a longing was cut off permanently. Elsword kneeled, and the closer look at his deceased friend choked many tears from him.

The distant sounds of battle warned the mourning swordsmen not to tarry for too long. So, with a trembling right hand, Elsword closed Chung's eyes, wishing peace upon his deceased brother.

The two continued on, drinking potions and recovering their bodies as they went. Eventually they arrived at the heat of the battle, and they joined their comrades.

* * *

Little by little, they whittled down the Demon Commander. All through the night, many spells and skills were cast, and both parties began to wear with exhaustion.

But soon Ran got the upper hand, because the El Search Party had fought an entire war just to get into the Temple. One by one, they fell. First to go was Aisha, taken out by Ran's Shadow Clone. The apparition caught the unwary Elemental Master as she chanted a spell, delivering a brutal slash across her back.

Next up were Rena and Eve. Ran used their mid-air fighting styles against them using his Reverse Gravity. When Rena and Eve were close enough, Ran caused a spell circle to appear below them, suspending them in midair. He slashed at them while they were suspended in the air, before finishing his combo by smacking their bodies into the ground.

Seeing each of his friends slowly fall by Ran's hands, Elsword felt a renewed rage burning in his spirit.

" _Armageddon Blade!"_ the Lord Knight shouted. A brilliant glow engulfed his sword, before a larger, deadlier sword made of his aura protruded from his hands. Then, to his destruction, he came in swinging. Elsword managed to get a few solid hits, as the sword was no heavier than it was before. But a Shadow Clone managed to disarm him with a slash to the wrist. With the sword gone, Ran came in and finished him off with a few slashes of his Night Siege.

Raven met a similar fate. He came in charging with his X-Crash, but a few Shadow Clones at the back lowered his guard. Ran hit him with an upward slash, followed by a black shadow claw that sent the flying Reckless Fist back to the ground.

It felt like days before the dust finally settled, but when it did, Ara received the chilling revelation that she was the only one left. Ran stared at her with a chilling bravado, running his hands through his silver hair and flashing an intimidating smile. Ara took a solemn glance at his sword, the Night Siege. The sword was ripe with blood. The blood of her friends.

The only family she had left.

But not even her anger could give her the strength to take out the Demon Commander. She were simply too tired, and he was simply too strong. Ara tried her best to flush that thought out of her mind, but it remained buzzing in her mind.

Then, Ran made his move. He dashed at her at inhuman speeds, his body becoming a gray blur. Ara could barely bring up her spear in a defensive position, before he caught up to her. She expected a vicious impact, but what she got was much worse.

Right before Ran swung, he disappeared. Then, Ara felt something move behind her. She turned quickly to meet the figure, who was still a gray blur. A quick hand movement, and the spear was sent flying right out of Ara's hands. Before she could react, she felt something sweep her off her feet, and she landed on her back with a grunt.

Her vision became dazed from the impact. Then she felt the tip of the sword on her neck.

A single drop of blood appeared on her neck.

Ara looked nervously up at Ran, her eyes now pleading for mercy.

"Aren please!" she screamed, and her voice echoed all throughout the room.

Then, with a careful motion, she pulled out a necklace from her cloak. Ran's face changed. The pendant had the shape of a four-leaf clover, surrounded by a circle. In the middle was a perfectly round ruby that shone beautifully in the light. Upon seeing the all-too-familiar pendant, something behind those cold, dead eyes shifted.

"Wh-where did you get that pendant…" he asked with a weak voice.

"I… I found it back in Altera…" she answered. "It… It belongs to you doesn't it?"

Then the memories all came flushing back into him.

A flash of smiles and warm family gatherings ran like lightning through his mind. For a moment, his eyes turned from a dark red color to the bright yellow that they once were. Then, his body began to tremble, as the demonic influence inside of him violently fought back the memories.

 _No… No!_ it screamed inside its head. _You are not Aren!_

"No!" he screamed back. In a violent motion, he threw his Night Siege away to the other side of the room. Then, he produced a tiny, silver knife from his cloak. It was no bigger than a finger, but Ara instantly recognized what it was.

… _! That's a Holy Dagger! What's he—_

"Gyaaaah!"

His scream interrupted her train of thought, and her pupils shrank when she saw what he was doing. The knife was raised just a moment ago, but now she watched in horror as Aren buried the knife deep in the right side of his chest. He dragged the knife across to the left side, before removing it. Then he stabbed himself in the stomach, and dragged the knife upwards to create a cross, letting out painful, blood-choked screams as he did. He threw the knife to the ground, which was now fully soaked in fresh blood.

But this time the blood was purple-red. As horrifying as it was, the color was a sign that Aren was regaining his humanity. Because while he was Ran, his blood was purple.

The deadly wound dropped the former Demon Commander to his knees. Then, seizing the opportunity, Ara reached out her hand and created a spell circle around her brother. She began to perform the proper rites, and the spell circle grew a bright yellow. Rite by rite, Aren's skin grew more and more pale like it used to be. And his eyes grew more and more yellow like they used to be. In the final rite, the demonic influence inside Ran hissed like a burning snake as it was expelled. Then the noise stopped, and all was silent within the temple. A cloud of black dust appeared on the ground and snaked away to somewhere safe.

Somewhere it could thrive again.

Ara laid on the floor in relief, and Aren sat down right next to her.

He flashed her that same smile that he used to, all those years ago, and Ara felt a familiar warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time. In all of the chaos and all of the loss, this was the only thing that felt right in the world.

"Is it over…?" Ara asked with a weak, childlike voice. "Are we safe now?"

"No…" Aren breathed, shaking his head. "Not safe."

He flashed her a begging look, and it looked like tears were about to well up in his eyes.

"Aren? What's—"

 _Bang!_

A gaping hole opened up in Aren's back, and he fell forwards from the impact of the magic bullet.

Ara was gripped by utter shock as she saw her brother falling forwards, blood dripping out of his mouth. She hugged him around the shoulder while screaming in panic.

 _This… This can't be real!_ was the last coherent thought that ran through her mind.

With Aren resting on her body, she looked past his shoulder to the tall shadowy figure in the distance. Her eyes widened when she recognized the face.

Chung.

He stood there with a firm grip on a smoking Silver Shooter, his pupils perfectly aligned with the iron sights. His other hand was on the handle of his Destroyer. The Godstryker was holstered firmly on his back, but the Voidfang was nowhere to be found.

But something about him was… terribly wrong.

His skin was ghostly pale and his eyes were a deep, dark red. His veins were outlined in black, and they contrasted with his eerie white skin. His hair also looked faded, as it if had been sun-bleached for days. To top it off, a dried river of blood trailed down from the healed bullet wound on the side of his head. It passed over his eye, and ended at his jawline.

Ara couldn't believe the ominous figure that stood there. Surely she had fallen asleep somehow during the battle, and all of this was just a weird nightmare.

And all nightmares end, right?

Right?

This was more than she could take. The tired Asura broke down in a tirade of screams and unsuppressed sobs.

She wailed and squeezed her dying brother, wishing and hoping that it would all go away. That this was just a bad dream that somehow ran on for too long. That when she looked up, she would be in her bed, and Chung would be at the door of her room telling her that they were having pancakes for breakfast.

But instead, he stood eerily in the distance, his stone cold hands holding the revolver firmly in place.

After what seemed like an eternity, he lowered his pistol, turned, and left.

"Chung!" she yelled through the tears.

He did not respond to her. Instead, he ran past the pyramid that held the throne. Behind the structure was an opening that led deeper into the Temple.

But Ara didn't have the strength to give chase. She just sat there and cried until her tears ran dry.

And then she fell asleep, hoping and praying that she would not wake up.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _Alright guys, this concludes Chapter 7. I initially didn't know what I was doing or where I was going with this chapter, but after a few days of writing and brainstorming, it came to me. Also, I'm sorry that this took so long to come out. Once midterm and finals season came up, it was basically impossible for me to work on this at all. But to make it up to you guys, I made this chapter super long—almost 5000 words! I really liked how it turned out, too, and I hope you enjoyed it._**

 ** _Also, one of you left a review hoping that Chung and Ara would have "much development" in this. Well, here's your development :)_**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Merry Christmas guys, and have a Happy New Year._**


	8. Dreams

**Chapter 8: Dreams**

* * *

Ara found herself barefoot in an open field, her brother Aren leading her by the hand.

The faded yellow sun hung low in the darkening sky, and the flowers of the meadow began to show their twilight colors. The air began to cool as heaven's canvas turned into an elaborate mixture of purple and orange.

Ara and Aren finally stopped once they reached the middle of the field. The two siblings just stood there glorying in the gentle breeze. The gentle grass tickled their feet and the twilight sun warmed their faces.

Not a care in the world was on their shoulders.

It was the way things used to be, and for a moment it felt like it was the way things were now. But all of a sudden the winds shifted. A shadowy figure stood in the distance, and something beckoned Ara to come closer to it.

"Aren! Let's go!" she called out to him as she ran towards the figure.

"Wait, Ara! Do you even know who that is?" he yelled after her. "Argh!"

* * *

As the Asura approached the figure, the darkness began to lift, revealing the face of the shadowy figure. It was Chung, but this time he appeared as he always did. His face was devoid of any wounds, and his hair seemed softer and more golden than ever. Even his eyes were the same cute baby blue they've always been. He wasn't wearing his usual Freiturnier, though, just a robe.

"Ara…" he said to her with a sad smile on his face.

"Chung!" exploded Ara.

Chung jolted in place when he saw the girl sprinting at him at full speed. Not knowing how to react, he just stood there bracing himself for impact.

"Ooof!"

All of a sudden, a strange warmth engulfed the surprised Chung. He opened his eyes but found that he couldn't see—something incredibly soft and warm was blocking his vision. He felt cool strands of silky hair tickling his cheeks, and he smelled the fragrance they had. Then he felt the arm that was wrapped around his waist, and another one that snaked its way up his back.

"A-Ara…" he stammered, a cute blush forming across his cheeks. His body trembled from the sudden contact, and he fought against her grip.

The ravenette was delighted by his adorable response. Despite his resistance, she hugged him even more tightly, burying his face in her chest.

"Ara… W-wait!" he panicked.

"Shhhh, it's okay haha!" she said playfully to him. "You're so cute!"

Ara kissed him on the forehead and rocked back and forth in the gentle breeze. After a while, Chung stopped resisting her, and instead hugged her back. Ara almost cried when she felt his embrace.

"I missed you…" she whispered in his ear.

Aren saw the two and stopped in his tracks. A smile crept on his face when he saw how happy his little sister was.

* * *

Ara stopped rocking when she felt Chung's body turn icy cold. She pushed him away to look at him and found that his body had changed. His hair was sun-bleached, and his skin was deathly pale. Red eyes were accompanied by a horrifying stream of dried blood that traveled down his face.

"Ch-Chung? What's happened to you?" Ara asked him in a panic.

The boy merely shook his head and looked at her with saddened eyes.

"Please… Save me..." he muttered, his throat sounding dry and desolate.

A dark cloud manifested behind him and enveloped him. Chung's body became like mist, and he slipped past her arms and faded into the distance.

The Asura waved her arms in the air in an attempt to catch him, but he faded like mist blown away by a cool east wind. Then, as if on cue, the sun finally set, and a thick darkness blanketed the meadow.

Ara turned to her brother with thick tears streaming down her face. Aren walked toward her slowly, a forlorn expression etched onto his face. He gave his sister a much-needed hug, and she spent all the night crying into his chest.

The sobs lasted all through the night, but the break of dawn seemed to give Ara new strength. She got up off of Aren's chest and stood up, letting the morning breeze dry away her tears.

"You know what to do now?" Aren said after a night without words.

"Yeah," replied Ara. "I… No. _We_ have to save him."

"Good answer," he commended her. "Now you're ready to wake up."

And she did.

* * *

 **Author's Endnote:**

 **Alright, I actually intended this chapter to come out sooner. Sorry about the delay, but I ended up rewriting part of it. I didn't feel super strongly about it at first, but I guess it turned out alright. I sprinkled in this bit of romance to kind of break from the violence (and to prepare for the action in the next chapter). Think of it as a sort of calm before the storm, or an interlude.**

 **In other news, I've seen some Chung x Ara fanart lately, and I notice that they almost always depict Chung as taller than Ara. Never understood that, because when you look at their heights in ElWiki, Ara's actually taller than Chung (and four years older). I kind of showed that here too, when Ara hugs him. Anyways...**

 **The Spring semester's starting up, with my first class next Monday. Wish me luck! Fall 2016 was actually a pretty successful semester, and hopefully, Spring 2017 will be the same story. Of course, uploads will slow down (if they aren't slow already). But I don't think it'll be a super slowdown, as I only have classes from Monday to Thursday. So I got some time.**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you guys in the next one.**


	9. The Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter 9: The Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

The call of the morning brought Ara forth from her grassy dreamscape. But she couldn't move, and her eyes could only make out the blurry figures of people walking back and forth. Time healed her, however, and she sat up on her bed and put her feet on the floor. Rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, she saw that her friends on were in the same room, but on different beds.

People in light blue robes were also present in the room. Some of them were at the bedside of some of their friends treating their wounds. Others were walking around with what seemed to be medical supplies—everything ranging from herbal medicine to syringes that held some technologically advanced drug.

"Ah, you are awake," said a gentle female voice. "Welcome back, Ara."

The Asura turned to the source of the voice, and she saw a woman in a white dress overlaid by an ornate, light-blue hood. Ara was entranced by the woman's eyes, which were like aquamarines, fine and pure, and the light-blue hair that matched them.

"Who… Who are you?" Ara asked the woman.

"My name is Sasha," the woman replied with a cold, but gentle voice. "I am the Water Priestess."

A wave of surprise shook Ara at those words.

"Wow! So you're the Water Priestess…" Ara reiterated, her voice trailing off in awe. "But… why are you here?"

"Don't you know why? We're here to help you recover. We knew that Ran had come, and that you came in the Temple after him. There was no way we could fight him off on our own—he would've slaughtered us all…"

The Priestess's voice trailed off, as her aquamarine eyes looked towards the corner of the room. A certain black-haired man in ragged, bloody clothes was sitting on the bedside at the corner. Through the holes in his shirt Ara could see the tiniest sparkles of light reflecting off of the stitches on his torso. The man's faded amber eyes bore down into the floor directly below him, and it seemed as if the cup of steaming tea in his hand was the only source of warmth near him.

"Aren…" breathed Ara.

"Anyways," interjected Sasha. "While you were fighting, we were busy…"

"Busy doing what?"

"Setting up countermeasures. There was no guarantee that you would stop Ran, or whatever it is that was controlling him anyways. Behind the throne room you were in is a labyrinth. At the end of the labyrinth is the Water Crystal. On normal circumstances, a labyrinth plus a few powerful soldiers would be enough security. But this is something…"

"Different," finished Ara.

"Correct," replied Sasha. "So we set up magic seals in the labyrinth and at the Water Crystal. They won't stop your possessed friend, but they'll slow him down."

"So why don't we chase him now?" asked Ara.

"Can you?"

Ara tried to get up off the bedside, but several lightning bolts of pain brought her crashing back down.

"This is why we set up those magic seals," continued Sasha. "To fight him, you'll need to be at your very best."

The Asura grunted, but she knew that Sasha was right.

"You just fought a war to get to where you are. Do you know how exhausting that is for your body?" Sasha's tone shifted. "I get it, you're heroes. But you're not gods. Even heroes get tired."

Those words were enough to send Ara flying back down to her bed.

Sasha stood over the tired girl, a soft smile barely visible on her shadowed face.

"This time is yours. Rest…"

Then the Priestess ran her hands over Ara's eyelids and sent the Asura back into the realm of her dreams.

* * *

The noon sunshine awoke Ara from her extended sleep. Groggily putting both feet on the floor, she squinted her eyes to see her friends gathered around a blue marble table.

"Finally awake, I see," commented Raven. "Come have lunch."

Ara made her way to an empty seat on the table. With a slightly blurry vision, she began to make out the food on the table.

The meal was a ravishing banquet. There was mashed potatoes and gravy, accompanied by medium T-bone steaks. There was also an assortment of fruits inside a gigantic bowl, plus a giant salad in another bowl.

But despite the colorful bounty, Ara and her friends ate in heavy silence.

Millions of thoughts buzzed inside their heads as they each tried to process the events of the past few days.

Seeing Chung's Hameling zooming through the skies after two weeks without any trace of him. Then finding him fighting Chloe and Victor in the middle of a battlefield. Then venturing with him to the Fountain of Healing, and fighting a slew of demons at the Temple Entrance.

They followed Chung inside the Temple, which was eerily quiet. Too quiet. After hours of just hearing footsteps and whispers, they made it to the throne room of the Temple where Ran was waiting for them.

Then… the insanity began.

Ran summoned two monsters, ones strong enough to subdue the bloodthirsty Chaser. And once Chung was subdued… He died. They each saw him die by his own gun, shot by one of the Fallen Red Knights. One quick bullet to the head and then… he was gone.

They continued fighting Ran. One by one they each fell until Ara was the last one standing. After a long, brutal, and bloody standoff, she managed to rescue her brother Ran from the darkness. But the nightmare didn't end with a dream.

Aren was in her arms, barely alive and breathing. But then someone… Or something came up behind him and shot him in the back.

 _Was that the Chung I knew? No! I saw him…_

Ara trailed off in her own thoughts as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Rena, who was sitting right next to her, felt sorry for her friend and began patting her on the back.

Feeling better, Ara wiped her tears and continued eating.

Priests and other workers came by to take their empty plates, putting them in a plastic bin and heading to a kitchen at the end of the hall. Yet the group remained at their seats, looking solemnly down at the table where their respective plates once were.

Ara was the first to break the silence.

"Aren…" she called to the black-haired man sitting across from her.

Aren averted her gaze, and instead looked guiltily down at his table.

"Aren." She called a second time, her voice sterner.

Slowly, Aren looked up and met his little sister's gaze, his amber eyes weathered by shame and guilt.

"Ara…" he started. "I'm so sorry… For everything…"

"You think that's enough to atone for your sins?" Elsword blurted out in rage. Righteous anger welled up in him as he recalled the death and corruption of his best friend the night before.

"Elsword," Ara fired back, eyeing him with stern eyes. "I'll handle this."

That was enough to silence the furious knight.

"Aren," she said again. "Do you remember?"

"Remember what?"

"What happened the day you got possessed?"

There was silence in the room as Aren sifted through his memories. Most of them had been faded snippets of sights and sounds, like a metal plaque that's been rusted over and cracked over years of exposure. The others looked at Ara incredulously, as they couldn't figure out why she was asking such questions.

"Ahm… It's all jumbled up…"

"Will this help?" Ara placed the golden necklace on the table. Aren took the pendant, rubbing his finger over the gem and feeling the golden rims that came together to form a four-leaf clover.

"I remember fighting off an army," Aren mused. "Then… I remember getting knocked down… And feeling a sharp pain on my chest…"

"...What happened next?" questioned Ara, her gaze unwavering yet non-judgemental. The other people in the room eyed her suspiciously. They were expecting either silence, or Ara to unload all of her rage onto him. Anything but whatever this was.

"...Not so sure. I remember a sharp, throbbing pain in my chest," Aren gestured toward that spot on his chest, feeling ancient pains as if they were fresh wounds. "I… I was on the ground. My vision was going blurry, my mind was going blank… I… I was sure I was going to die."

Ara remained silent, as her mind raced to process what Aren just said.

"I think… I think I did die. Yeah! I remember it now! It was a Spriggan that killed me. I saw darkness rushing out of the ground before it, and next thing I knew, I was on the ground bleeding. The world turned gray, and then my mind faded to black. I'm _sure_ I died that day."

"But you're alive now," interjected Raven. "How is that possible?"

Aren remained silent for a bit, fishing the deep well of his mind for an answer. "I remember feeling my very life leaving me. But then all of a sudden it came rushing back in. I don't know if it was healing magic or not, but there was something dubious about it. I felt… darkness entering into me. I saw it when my pale skin turned purple and then black."

"What happened next?" asked Ara. Her eyes began to widen slightly as she started putting the pieces together.

"It's… hard to describe. I felt like I was in the back seat of my own body, and someone else was in control. No matter how much I screamed and shouted, my body wouldn't listen. I witnessed myself murder everyone in Fahrmann with the same dark powers I died by. Even our brothers… even our parents…"

Aren choked as tears began to well up.

Ara clenched her fist at the reminder of that horrific moment, all those years ago. Everyone in the room seemed to share that feeling, as anger tempted each one of them to lash out. Ara took a deep breath and calmed herself, allowing her tense muscles to relax.

"I forgive you."

"...What?"

"I said I forgive you."

"Ara…" said Rena, concernedly.

"Aren…" Ara took her older brother's hand. "It wasn't you that did it. Besides, you're my brother and I love you. I forgive you."

Aren took a ragged breath and looked down, silent tears streaming down his face. Ara smiled and petted his hair, and the whole room sat in awe at what they beheld.

Even more strangely, the anger that each of them held dissipated at the sight. Even Elsword, who a moment ago was ready to decapitate Aren, found his hands relaxing when he watched Ara pet someone who was once a nemesis.

This was way different from the Ran he had encountered yesterday. Ran was an arrogant mass murderer who was dead-set on the Water Crystal. Aren was a totally different person—meek, lowly, and willing to recognize and atone for his sins. Any anger against that was unrighteous.

Raven closed his eyes and smiled. "I forgive you too."

Now all eyes were on him. "I know what it's like to do what you've done. I got blood on my hands too."

Aren looked wearily at Raven, whose open palms were stretched out towards him.

"But look at me now," the swordsman continued. "There's always a second chance."

Ara smiled brightly when she heard that. "That means Chung has a second chance too!"

* * *

As if on cue, Sasha walked into the room. She placed a tiny plastic object in the middle of the table for all to look at.

"Is that… a flash drive?" asked Aisha as she stood up to look at it.

"Yes. This drive contains some of the most recent security footage inside of the Temple. I figured you'd want to see it."

"Absolutely!" replied Ara. "Eve?"

"Already on it," affirmed Eve as she gestured for her drones to fly over. "Moby, open up."

The drone did as it was told, and Eve plugged the drive into the USB port. "Project the videos onto the wall." Moby found a spot on the wall, faced it, and projected the video onto it. An optical keyboard interface appeared at Moby's back, in case Eve needed to run any shell commands.

The screen showed footage from one of nine different camera feeds, and the whole group held their breaths when they saw the figure in the film. This particular angle showed a portion of the labyrinth beyond the throne room. The paths were wide and laden with blue stone bricks with elaborate carvings. One path led to a hard left, and that hallway was blocked off by a magical seal. The seal was a bright blue and held some sort of elaborate insignia. None of them had ever seen the seal before, except Sasha. Perhaps it began to an old royal family that predated the Seiker clan.

Their eyes widened when they saw the figure turn to the left. Undoubtedly it was Chung, as the figure had a holstered sniper rifle on his back and two Silver Shooters on his hip. He was also holding the Destroyer.

Chung's friends gathered around the projection, anticipating what he was about to do. He seemed to be breathing heavily, and the camera picked up some audio with his voice.

"Hah… Hah… I can't… Go on…"

Chung then collapsed to his knees, his body visibly shaking and ready to fall. Then a strange red glow encapsulated him, and Chung placed his palms on his temples. His body trembled even more intensely, kneeling down and screaming loudly onto the ground.

Ara's heart broke when she saw how much pain he was in. But then she heard a voice. A voice that she had never heard before.

Chung's body froze in its kneeling position.

"You are strong." The voice commended. "You didn't succumb to my influence immediately like my last host did… But even so know this: you are my puppet."

"...No!" resisted Chung. "Gyaaaah!"

Chung nearly fell to the ground, barely being able to hold himself up to prevent his face from hitting the cold, hard ground.

"Break the seal. Now."

Reluctantly, Chung stood back up and mounted the Destroyer on his shoulder.

"Heavy Railgun!"

The giant bullet exited the Destroyer at Mach 1 speeds. Yet even with its immense kinetic energy, it could only crack the seal.

Taking a ragged breath, Chung readied the Destroyer again. "Scare Chase!"

The homing missile flew true through the air and smacked straight into the seal. The magic seal shattered like glass, its ethereal shards dissipating into the wind like pixie dust.

"Good boy…" the voice taunted. And the feed shut off.

"That's him," interjected Aren, arms crossed and eyes focused. "That's him…"

"Chung?" questioned Elsword.

"No. That was the voice in my head that spoke to me the day I died. The day everyone died… I just hope this time there's a different outcome."

"There _will_ be a different outcome," added Ara fiercely. "Whoever or whatever this thing is, I'll make it pay."

"And we'll be right with you," assured Elsword. " _We'll_ make it pay."

They all surrounded Ara, each giving her a confident smile. They would be with her until the end. That was how the El Search Party operated.

"Thanks, guys!" Ara gushed, smiling brightly.

"But before you can do that, you all must rest," reiterated Sasha. "We have facilities to help you do so, such as the meal you just ate, Zen gardens, baths, and even massage therapists."

"Massage therapists?" gushed Elsword.

"Massage therapists," Sasha repeated with a smile. "Like in the security footage, breaking a magical seal takes a lot out of Chung. That was only one out of one hundred."

"Wow…" gasped Raven. "How much time does that give us."

"I can only give a rough estimate. Seven days should be enough. Use it wisely."

And with that, the Water Priestess left the room.

* * *

The day wore on surprisingly quickly. The boys rounded themselves up and proceeded to the hot baths, prepared by the priests. The girls proceeded to the other section of the baths, and a wall separated the two groups. Each enjoyed their time in the baths, letting the hot waters ease away dirt, sweat, and tension in their muscles. It occurred to them how different this day was from yesterday. One day they're fighting three wars at once, and the next they're having the most luxurious spa treatment of their lives.

After that, everyone went off to separate rooms in order to receive massage therapy. The workers who specialized in physical therapy took great care to hit all the deep tissues that were harboring muscular tension.

"A-ah! It hurts…" complained Elsword.

"Just the tension," replied the therapist as he continued his precise work. "You put your body through hell. Try to relax."

"Ahh… That's better…" Elsword sighed after the painful part was over.

In another room, Ara was also enjoying the treatment. She sighed in pleasure as the maid's hands worked dutifully over her muscles, releasing tension and tightness in every nook and cranny of her body.

"Ahhh, " she sighed dreamily. "I feel like I'm in heaven…"

The maid giggled, showing a tiny smile on her pale face. She continued with her work, before finally telling Ara to rise.

"Aww, it's over?" She pouted.

"I can't overdo it," the maid responded. "It's not good for your body."

"Alright, thank you!" chirped Ara before leaving the room.

* * *

Raven walked into the Zen garden and was surprised by the sudden presence of sunlight. Looking around, he saw that most of the enclosure was made of glass panes, coming together like a giant biosphere and allowing natural light to nurture the various plants that were there.

A tiny stream meandered throughout the whole complex through intricately woven irrigation canals. Raven decided to take a stroll alongside the stream, letting its serene bubbly tunes wash away his anxiety.

A few hundred meters following the stream and Raven happened upon a certain black-haired man looking at his reflection in the stream.

 _That's Aren…_ Raven mentally noted. _He looks really deep in thought._ _Better steer clear._

Raven walked past, and Aren didn't seem to notice. Whatever was in the water, he seemed to be entranced with it. The Reckless Fist continued his trek downstream until he saw a clearing to the left. Sitting down on the grass in the middle of the field surrounded by miniature trees, he began to meditate.

After thirty minutes or so of near-total silence, Ara walked into the field. Raven raised a brow in surprise, before going back to his breathing rhythms. The Asura didn't disturb him; she came here to find solace as well. Solace from the chaos in her own soul.

* * *

The fading sunlight filled the biosphere with shifting twilight colors. Raven and Ara decided that it was enough for the day, and so they headed back inside the Temple for their evening meal.

The El Search Party ate heartily through the night, yet this time there was more merriment. There was still some tension, but people began to talk to each other, and even to Aren. As he opened up to them, the fonder of him they grew.

Aren Haan was not a man who could be hated. By the end of the meal, Elsword and the others could understand why Ara had fought so hard to get him back. He was meek and humble, yet still held an aura that he was to be respected.

They each dropped their dishes in the dirty dish container, before a priest came and took it away.

They each stayed at the table until another priest came with a large platter in his hand. The platter had an assortment of pastry dishes on it. He placed it on the center of the table along with some bowls and silverware, leaving those seated to grab whatever they wanted.

After their hearty dessert, they each made their way into their respective rooms in high spirits.

"Wow, it's so spacious!" Ara's eyes sparkled when she beheld her room. Its walls were made of blue bricks with elaborate designs on them. On the far side was a medium-sized window overlooking the eastern forest. The trees were naked and leafless; a sign that winter was coming.

The night sky covered the landscape in darkness, yet the stars that peppered the skies provided a little bit of light.

Ara took a deep breath and plopped right into the thick, fluffy bed.

"...Eun," Ara called, getting up and sitting on her knees. The fox hairpin glowed a bright white before Eun's soul burst out of it and manifested itself as a giant, nine-tailed fox.

"What is it, Ara?" replied the fox in a gentle tone.

"I'm so anxious…"

"About him?"

"Yeah…"

Eun laid down on the floor and let out a deep exhale, letting her huge tails surround her like a bed. "I wouldn't worry too much."

"Why is that?" Ara tilted her head at the carefree fox.

"You were able to somehow defeat Ran, right?"

"...Not exactly. It was the necklace that managed to save him."

"Hmmm…" the fox mused. There was an awkward silence as Ara awaited her answer. "Seems like what you need isn't merely physical strength. More like a way to his heart."

"A way to his heart…" Ara replayed with those words, fiddling with them and meditating on them. "Sounds kind of romantic."

"If you want it that way. Fufufu," Eun snarkily added.

Ara's face heated up at that statement. "Eun!"

"Hmmmn?" Eun hummed innocently. "What? I thought you liked him."

"Well… Yeah, I do, but… It's still kind of complicated since he tried to kill my brother. Who would've thought that it was Aren that posed such a threat to his nation?"

Ara paused for a moment. "Chung never really trusted me. Once I learned about his intent to kill Aren, I started being suspicious of him too."

"But now you have feelings for him."

"Yeah…" Ara recalled the situation when Chung had taken care of her. Memories of aching wounds, soft caresses, and gentle words flooded her mind and filled her with warmth. "But it was a year ago that I started looking at him differently. Do you remember?"

"Berthe. He nearly killed you," mused Eun.

"It was Chung that took care of me. Even though he had his suspicions about me, he still cared for me like I was one of his dearest friends. Ironically, that reminded me of Aren." Ara giggled, remembering Chung's warm smile and the warm bowl of soup he handed her.

"I see."

"I saw a side of him that I've never seen before. Ever since he became a Deadly Chaser, rarely do I ever see that caring, gentle side of him.

"I want… I want to see his gentle side again. It broke my heart that day two weeks ago, seeing him glare at me with such hatred…"

Eun sighed as she felt Ara's whirlpool of emotions.

"I wish I didn't have to choose between him and my brother…"

"You don't. You said it yourself: there's a chance to get Chung back."

"Yeah, but… Even if we rescue him… Will he still hate me?"

"...I wouldn't think so."

"...Why?"

"Your brother's alive and back to normal and you would've rescued Chung from becoming the very thing he hated."

Ara hummed pensively, weighing Eun's words.

"I think he'd be grateful to you. Remorseful too," Eun continued.

"Thanks, Eun," said Ara with a smile.

"No worries, child." Eun took a deep, relaxing breath. "Then from there, you can take advantage of him."

Ara almost choked. "Pardon me?"  
Eun smiled. "You know what I mean~"

"H-hey!" Ara lashed out in flustered rage. "You dirty fox!"

"Now now…"

"No! I'm not going to… Uhmm…" Ara couldn't say more; her face was too hot.

"He's all yours~"

"Shut up! I'm going to sleep!" Ara angrily dove back into the covers of her bed.

"Good night then~"

Eun laid her head down and quickly dozed off. Ara, on the other hand, was kept awake by Eun's words. _I think he'd be grateful to you._ Those words filled her with excitement. Some of Eun's other words also filled her with excitement, but she pushed them out of her mind before her heart-rate could go any higher.

Ara removed her covers and got off the bed. She went up to the window and opened it slightly, allowing the mellow night breeze to cool down the room. Smiling at the comfort it brought, Ara went back to bed. This time, she slept soundly, dreaming of the future.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey, guys, it's me. I just looked at this story and realized that I haven't updated it in more than 5 months. Yikes. But at least I finally got to finish this chapter. To be honest, this chapter was pretty tough for me because it took a lot of planning and care. I had to fiddle with characters' emotions for a bit, and that isn't my niche. But it's good to try something different, and I ended up liking how it turned out (after days and weeks of tweaking stuff and side projects). Hope you do too~

And as always, please rate and review! I'll see you guys on the next one. Peace~


	10. Sacrifices

**Chapter 10: Sacrifices**

* * *

Days passed by more quickly than expected. The El Search Party kept track of Chung's progress every day. Yet despite the apprehension, they used the time they had wisely. Some of them went to the zen gardens to meditate and to clear their minds in the presence of nature. Others took the time to sleep and nurture their physical bodies. Still, others trained themselves for the upcoming fight. Yet no matter what they did within these seven days, they each did it to prepare for one of the most important battles of their lives.

They were going to rescue their dear friend. That was the motivator that kept the fire in their hearts alive.

* * *

One day, Sasha burst into the dining area while the group had just finished breakfast. She was panting heavily, which was quite a departure from her usual calm and collected vibe. She remained at the door until her breathing stabilized.

"I… Hah… I just checked the footage. Less than five seals remain."

"What!?" they all exclaimed.

"He's close to the Water Seal!"

They all rushed out of their seats and into their respective rooms to suit up. Panic ensued among the priests and the workers at the sudden news. They all knew it would come to this, but to see someone actually break through every seal on the way to the Water Seal was impressive yet unnerving.

Everything they knew was at stake now.

Ara was in her room, hastily putting on her battle clothes. After fixing the signature ribbon to her hair, she picked up the fox hairpin and spoke to it.

"Today's the day…" she said to it.

 _Indeed it is,_ replied Eun in her mind. _But you're ready._

Ara smiled confidently at the hairpin. "Let's go."

She expertly twirled the hairpin before stylishly burying it in her long, silky hair. Grabbing her spear, she ran out into the halls and rendezvoused with Sasha. The rest of her friends were at the throne room where they fought Ran.

Looking around, she noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Aren?" Ara asked.

"He can't fight," replied Sasha. "His body's not up to it."

"Oh…"

Going back to the throne room, everyone marveled at how big it was. It was at least three stories high and approximately a kilometer wide on each side. Sasha led them behind the giant throne. Once they passed it, they could see the opening on the far side. The opening seemed big enough, but the sheer size of the throne room dwarfed it, making it look like a mouse hole.

"This is the entrance to the labyrinth. I will lead the way. Do not deviate, lest you may be lost in here forever," instructed Sasha.

Heeding those grave words, the El Search party followed Sasha into the labyrinth, being careful not to lose each other or the Water Priestess. They followed silently as Sasha led them through a path filled with dust and broken bricks.

Soon the path began to narrow, and the party had to continue in a single file line.

Over time, the narrow hallways began to choke them. The walls seemed like they could implode in on them at any given moment, yet they remained sound. Only the sound of footsteps could be heard as Sasha and the El Search Party traversed through the Labyrinth of Trials. They could tell where the magic seals used to be. Light-blue shards of glowing, solid mana lay on the ground like broken glass. Along with it, cracks and soot on the floor, walls, and ceiling.

* * *

The party finally reached the heart of the temple. The room was one gigantic hallway, with a wide path leading straight to the Water Seal. There were four giant pillars on each side, just ten meters from the walls. They were wide and tall, reaching four stories all the way to the high ceiling.

Sasha walked into the place where the Water Seal was.

The Water Seal was there in all its beauty. But there was also a tiny dot of white light at the bottom of the seal. Sasha stared at the wondrous dot of light, admiring how delicate it was.

"Get back!" snapped Raven. He grabbed Sasha by the shoulder and harshly pulled her back. Just then, a sudden thundering crack resounded all throughout the room. There was an explosion at the wall just where Sasha was standing, and when the dust settled there was a gaping hole covered in black soot.

"Explosive rounds… You could've died just now," Raven grimly uttered.

"Hah… Hah…" the priestess panted, still shaken. "Thank you…"

"Just a warning shot. You may enter," a voice resounded. They recognized the voice, but they all knew better. It sounded like Chung, but it wasn't Chung.

 _Pat… Pat…_

Elsword and the others gasped in shock when Ara shoved past them.

"A-Ara!" called Aisha. "Don't! You'll get shot!"

Ara continued. As she walked out into the open, she beheld her beloved Chung, who was sitting on his Destroyer on a high ledge. His eyes were deep red and soulless, just like Ran's were. Black tattoos outlined in red were visible on his faded face. His face was no longer pale, and the dried river of blood on his face was nowhere to be found. Instead, his skin was as gray as stone, and probably just as sturdy. However, his hair remained golden, like how it always had been. It served as the last sign that he wasn't totally lost.

His Freiturnier was also different. It had turned black and red, with spikes protruding backward out the shoulder plates.

Directly behind him was the Water Seal, shining brightly like the moon with a glittering surface that seemed to shift like ocean waters. Dark symbols were slowly drawing themselves on it, tainting the purity of the Seal.

"He's… He's corrupting the Water Seal..." muttered Sasha.

A flow of blue dust flowed into Chung's body, clinging him to the power of the Seal like a tether. To his right and to his left were also large statues, tall enough to reach to the ceiling of the temple. They were statues of his ancestors, and they each donned their version of the Destroyer. Magical glyphs from a lost language flowed slowly from the statues into Chung's body as well.

"So you finally made it," said Chung. His voice resonated eerily throughout the room, sounding like the voice of a multitude.

"Chung! I know you're still in there!" Ara shouted desperately. "We came to save you!"

"You came to die," he replied coldly.

* * *

A wall of ice suddenly raised, blocking him from view. But there was a window in the middle, allowing the Fallen Guardian to peek through.

 _Btooom!_

The bullet barely scraped Ara's head, and she could feel the nauseating effects of its gale force bullet trail. She froze in shock; death's touch had never been so close.

Snapping back to her senses, she bolted towards one of the pillars for cover. Raven, followed by the rest of the team, stormed inside.

"Sniper! Keep your damn head down!" the Reckless Fist barked as he scrambled for cover.

Shots rang out like a thunderstorm, exploding the ground and the walls as the El Search Party scattered for cover. They each took refuge behind pillars of thick stone, flinching every time the bullets slammed into the pillars.

"Raven! What's the plan?" Elsword shouted over the chaos.

"We need to hit him from behind cover!" Raven yelled. A bright flash engulfed him as he entered into his Awakening Mode. Tiny lightning bolts sparked to and fro in the air around him. When the flash subsided, Raven's Nasod Core was with him, following him like a floating drone.

"Shooting Star!" they heard Chung yell.

All of a sudden, homing rockets flooded the room, looking for signs of life.

"Move!" Raven yelled. The bright-blue rockets drew them out from behind the pillars, as they each did somersaults to avoid the deadly projectiles.

 _Btoom!_  
This time, the deadly bullet hit. It didn't hit anything vital, but the bullet gutted a gruesome ridge across Elsword's lower back.

"Aaahh!" he yelled in pain.

"Elsword!" screamed Aisha as she watched him fall.

"Don't! Keep mo—"

 _Btoom!_

The Nasod Core bloomed inwards to create a shield. But the bullet hit so hard that it completely disintegrated the Nasod Core.

"Damn!" cursed Raven as he made it to cover in time. Explosions peppered the battlefield as rockets slammed into the walls and floor. Dust rose like a mist, engulfing the room in darkness.

* * *

Raven and Rena stood side by side, fear and adrenaline coursing through their veins like lightning. Ara was behind her own pillar, still shell-shocked from almost losing her head. Eve was behind the pillar across from her, her drones staying close by. Elsword and Aisha were together behind another pillar after the purple-haired mage had barely dragged him to cover before getting shot herself.

The Knight grunted in pain, feeling the horrid wound that the bullet caused. Knowing what she had to do, Aisha set her hand ablaze.

"A-Aisha…" muttered Elsword when he saw the bright flash in her hand. Then he too realized what she had to do. Producing a leather strip from his cloak, Elsword took a deep breath and bit into it as hard as he could.

With a heavy pant, he nodded at her. Aisha tore Elsword's tunic to further reveal the wound.

Aisha gently rubbed her flaming hand over his back, causing the flesh to sizzle as the fire cauterized the wound. A single tear fell down Elsword's cheek as he let out a suppressed cry of pain. His body trembled from the pain, and the leather strip fell from in between his teeth and onto the floor. He leaned against the pillar as the wind left him.

Aisha caught him before he fell, tightly wrapping her arms around him. "Shhhh…" she tried to calm him. "Shhh…"

Slowly, his breathing normalized and he was able to get up. "Hah… Thank you…" he said.

Elsword noticed the dusty atmosphere. "What's the plan?" he hollered towards Raven and Rena.

"I don't know..." Raven hollered back. "Hold on!" The Reckless Fist slowly drew out his sword.

"What are you doing?" Rena whispered fiercely.

"Just watch. I wanna try something," he whispered back.

Slowly, he poked the tip of his blade out into the open.

The sound of Chung's rifle going off made their hearts jump. Raven's sword flew right out his hands, landing 20 feet away with a clang. Though he could not see it, the savage impact of the sniper round had punched clean through the middle of the sword, cracking it in half.

Raven cursed. Chung could see right through the smoke while they remained blind. Raven stood still racking his brain for ideas. His sword was gone, everybody except Chung was blind, and they were trapped behind pillars of stone.

"R-Raven!" Rena warned. She pointed to the peculiar red blur that was right beside them. Raven's eyes widened when he realized what it was.

"Tactical Nuke! Incoming!" he howled in panic.

He ran out of cover like a maniac to escape the impending explosion. He was blinded as the neon flash of Chung's Quantum Ballista lit up the dust around him. He raised his forearm to his eyes and kept running. But as he ran, an icy cold feeling of fear was slowly crawling up his spine. He could almost feel the red dot burning on his chest, tracking his movement perfectly. Then the shot rang out.

"Urgh!..."

All of a sudden, Raven's movements turned from graceful to awkward. A red geyser erupted from his pecks right above his heart, and he collapsed onto the ground just before he reached the pillar on the other side.

"Raven!" Rena screamed, her voice cracking in panic. She went to pick up her comrade, but she was stopped when another round barely missed her head.

But afterward, the shots stopped.

"He's reloading! Rena, now's your chance!" shouted Aisha. "Is he hit!?"

Rena didn't answer, she just dragged the swordsman to safety, leaving a horrible trail of blood on the floor.

"Aisha, get him to safety!" the archer begged with tears in her eyes.

"On it!" replied the mage. Aisha fixed her gloves and ensured that she applied a firm grip on Raven's body. There was a sudden flash, and the two were gone.

* * *

They reappeared inside the labyrinth. Aisha swept the dusty floor with her boots and carefully laid Raven down. Aisha placed two fingers to the Reckless Fist's neck. Miraculously, there was still a pulse.

Faint, but frequent footsteps could be heard as the Water Priestess quickly made her way to Aisha.

"Sasha! He's been shot!" Aisha called.

Sasha knelt down and gently slid her hand over the bullet hole.

"Heal…" she breathed out, the mantra barely audible. Blue specks of El converged like a whirlpool over the wound, regenerating the cells. As she cast the healing spell, Sasha hoped and prayed that the bullet hit nothing vital. A simple healing spell could only do so much.

A crew of medics arrived on the scene, clad in light armor and swords. One of them was carrying a heavy load of medical equipment, and still another had emergency combat supplies in case they were ambushed.

"Mendéz!" called the first medic. She had a special emblem embroidered on her chestplate that the others didn't have. She must've been the head medic.

The man carrying the medical equipment stood forward, deploying the crate of supplies. Immediately the whole team swarmed the crate. One of them took out a large piece of equipment and placed it over Raven's body. A tiny bar of light appeared at his midriff and began moving upwards at a constant speed. The machine beeped, signaling to the operator that the scanning procedure had finished.

The bullet went clean through Raven's body, but thankfully nothing vital had been hit. He'd live to fight another day.

"Hah… Thank you…" breathed Aisha, nodding at the medics.

 _Bang!_

The gunshot reminded the girl of the harsh battle that was continuing on without her. She nodded at Raven, then at Sasha, and then at the medics.

With a chant, she returned to the Water Seal, righteous anger building in her chest.

* * *

Aisha teleported back to her previous place. Rena was standing there with a worried look on her face. The clouds of dust were gone; Rena's Carpet Storm had defogged the room.

"It's okay…" the mage comforted. "He'll live."

"Oh thank God…" Rena said on the verge of tears. But despite the relieving news, Rena could feel that something broke inside of her when she saw Raven nearly die.

The group made a grave mistake by taking this moment to relax. They were totally unaware of the dangerous red light that was next to them.

"Missiles incoming!" informed Eve.

"Artillery Strike!" they heard Chung scream.

In a panic, Aisha grabbed hold of Elsword's body as hard as she could. She teleported just in time to escape the blast.

"Damn! I couldn't get Rena!" cursed the mage in panic. But as soon as she turned around, she saw the Grand Archer running as swiftly as the north wind, barely escaping the volley of missiles that peppered the area where she once stood.

"Dread Chase!" they heard him bellow. Mounting the Destroyer on his shoulder, Chung unleashed yet another volley of homing missiles into the room.

"Does he have infinite mana!?" screamed Aisha.

"It's the Water Seal! Cut him off from it!" screamed Elsword.

Seeing the homing rockets, Rena drew her bow back and fired in their general direction.

"Guided Arrow!" Five green arrows flew through the air and headed for the homing rockets. The arrows collided with them, causing explosions in the air that scattered dust and gunpowder.

"Thank you!" shouted Aisha as she led Elsword behind cover.

"We need to get closer!" Rena ordered. "Take down that ice wall!"

"Already on it," affirmed Eve. Crushing an El's Essence, Eve created an optical lens using Moby and Remy.

"Psychic Artillery!" The Battle Seraph fired a tiny beam of light towards the wall. With perfect accuracy, the beam went through the single hole in the wall, scoring a burning headshot on Chung. The Fallen Guardian staggered back, clutching covering his eyes and screeching in pain. Ara's heart broke hearing that scream, but she knew that it was a necessary pain.

"Energy burst!" With that, the tiny beam erupted into a gargantuan stream of light. The beam instantly vaporized the wall of ice, turning it into a sizzling cloud of water vapor. Still disoriented, Chung felt fresh new waves of pain as the brutal light enveloped him in its deadly incandescence.

* * *

The particle beam faded, revealing a kneeling Chung. His Freiturnier was singed, and parts of it had been melted by Eve's Psychic Artillery.

Ara stared at Eve, a tornado of emotions whirling violently within her. Sensing her malice, the Nasod Queen turned to her friend, looking deeply into her eyes.

"You won't turn on us again, will you?"

Elsword, Aisha, and Rena perked up at those words, and they saw the two in the distance eyeing each other like two duelers in a Mexican standoff.

"...Will you?" repeated Eve.

Ara couldn't answer. Her mind flashed back to the sound of Chung's scream just moments ago. Causing that kind of pain to the one she loved was unforgivable. But her brooding was interrupted when she saw the glint of a muzzle in the distance.

"..! Eve!" Ara reached out to save her, but she was too late. The shot rang out with its thunderous roar, racing towards its target at supersonic speeds.

Eve exploded. Her amber eyes widened in surprise as the vicious projectile tore into her body, sending metallic pieces of her flying off into the distance. Her steel torso ballooned outwards as the bullet exited her body, leaving her clutching a brutal exit wound. Legs shaking, breathing erratic, the Nasod crumbled pitifully towards the floor.

Ara caught her body and held her up, watching in horror as Eve's eyes flickered like a broken lamp.

"Eve… Eve!" Ara cried, shaking the fallen Nasod. "Not like this…"

The Battle Seraph weakly grasped Ara's arm. With slow, painful motions, she turned to face Ara.

"...Don't waste it," Eve muttered through gritted teeth. Then her eyes died. Beside her, Moby and Remy dropped to the floor, clanking like dead weights. Their lights faded as the power went out, and they laid dead on the ground beside their master.

A violent squall of emotions whirled inside of Ara as she held the dead Nasod in her arms. Fear, grief, and sorrow crippled her to the moment, burning unwanted tattoos into her soul.

"What are you doing? Get the hell out of the open!"

Ara ignored Aisha's pleas, and instead, she closed the Nasod's eyes with her fingers. Standing up, she Ara looked directly at Chung, locking onto his soulless ruby eyes. The muzzle of his rifle glinted eerily, and she could feel the red dot burning a hole in her chest where her heart is. But even so, she kept gazing into his soul, her eyes glassy from tears that haven't fallen yet.

"Chung!" Ara boomed. The sound of her voice reverbed all around the room and off the walls.

And against all odds, Chung did not shoot.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey guys. Sorry this upload took longer than expected. I haven't been uploading as frequently as when I first started this fanfiction. But in a way, that's a good thing. It's better not to rush something and have it come out nice. Believe me, I've put out fics that were ass because they've been rushed. (Tbh, another reason for slow uploads was that playing Garry's Mod with the peeps in my writer's discord has been lit! But that's another story .)

It's 2:20am as I'm writing this endnote. I might upload this in the morning (er… afternoon), cause I'm dead tired. I think I'm gonna split this action sequence into three chapters. I've had a lot of crazy things happen all in one chapter before, and I personally view that as a mistake on my part. So this time, I'll spread it out a little more :D

After I finish the action sequences, I predict that this fic will get all emotional and at times really fluffy. Lmk what you guys would think about that.

Oh and I totally didn't name this chapter after a song by Big Sean or something… Where did you get that idea? Anyways, it's ya boi LegenDarius. Rates and reviews always appreciated. I'll see you on the next one. Peace!


	11. Sacrifices Pt II

**Chapter 11: Sacrifices Pt. II**

* * *

 _Click… Click… Click…_

The strange noise clicked rhythmically like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. The remaining members of the El Search Party stood in awe as the clicking continued. Dumbfounded, they watched as Chung discarded the Godstryker. Tossing it aside, it fell to the ground with a clang.

Snapping back to reality, Elsword voiced his realizations. "He's out of ammo…" he breathed.

Immediately after those words left his mouth, the Fallen Guardian leaped from his high ledge. They watched as the bulky figure seemed to glide seamlessly through the air. The earth quaked when his boots made contact with the ground. Even Rena, who was the furthest away, could feel the violent tremors from the landing.

Ara stared in shock as Chung landed in front of her. But before she could do anything, someone shoved her aside.

"Out of the way!" Elsword seethed, his eyes burning with hatred. "Before you get the rest of us killed!"

Like a flash of lightning, the aura of the Armageddon Blade protruded from the knight's sword. But Ara could only watch as guilt tore her heart wide open and left it for dead. No amount of training and experience could've prepared her heart for those devastating words.

Eve had died because of her. Because of her carelessness. Because she couldn't control her emotions.

"Elsword!" Rena called out to him, who was already engaged in brutal, close-quarters combat with their fallen friend. The archer took one last sympathetic look at the frozen Ara. "I'm sorry…" she muttered, before running to aid Elsword.

The scene seemed to fade into mush before her, as the noises of the battle and of the world seemed to tune themselves out into white noise.

A hand rested on her shoulder, breaking Ara out of her limbo. Turning, she saw that it was Aisha giving her a comforting gaze. The mage pulled her in for a hug. Ara smiled, that was all she needed for now.

Aisha pulled away, grasping Ara's shoulders. "We'll talk about this later okay? We have a battle to win. Oh, and I'm definitely gonna have a talk with Elsword after this."

Nodding, Ara got up and joined their friends.

* * *

Elsword swung furiously and relentlessly at Chung, backing each attack with a desire to have his friend back. Yet Chung had managed to perfectly parry each hit. He twirled the gigantic cannon as if it was a hollow baton, blocking and countering each and every swing with amazing dexterity.

Behind them, Rena shot arrows from a distance to keep Chung on his toes. But the Fallen Guardian focused on blocking the Lord Knight's blows; Rena's arrows merely bounced off his armor. Aisha was beside her, firing fireballs from a distance and hitting him with lightning bolts and ice shards.

Ara ran like the wind, straight into the fray. Twirling high into the air, she gripped her spear with both hands to prepare a heavy downward swing. After three somersaults, she saw the back of his neck and swung her spear down with ferocious precision.

An ear piercing clang resounded, and Ara couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her spear making contact with the surface of the Destroyer. Chung had somehow swung it backwards to block her attack. He swung the Destroyer back down and, as Elsword was charging at him, detonated a cannonball. The blast went out of both sides of the Destroyer, stunning both fighters.

Chung leaped forward, leaving an explosion in his wake, and reappeared behind Elsword. Bracing his cannon up like a shield, he raced forward, letting out a war cry with his Destroyer in front of him like a riot shield. Both Elsword and Ara were hit by the mad charge, their bodies barely hanging from each side of the Destroyer. They felt their insides turn into mush. Chung picked up his legs as he crashed both of them into the wall, leaving a spiderweb of cracks on the ornate bricks.

 _Clink!_

The sound of an arrow clinking against his armor reminded Chung of the two remaining girls at his tail. They were both rushing towards him, and Rena was firing off volley after volley of arrows without breaking her sprint.

Chung drew out his Silver Shooter with lightning speed and fired a Bullet Blitz at them. The bullet bounced between Aisha and Rena repeatedly, stunning them momentarily. While they were vulnerable, Chung leaped twenty meters forward, catching them both on his cannon.

But behind him, Elsword and Ara were already charging him.

"Mega Slash!"

"Wind Wedge!"

Chung was hit in the back with a powerful slash that cracked his Freiturnier, followed by a flurry of spear jabs that continued weakening his armor. While Chung was being attacked, Aisha and Rena got back up on their feet. The four blitzed him in vicious, close range combat. Standing in the center, Chung raised his cannon as he endured spear jabs, sword swings, fireballs, lightning bolts, kicks, arrows, and wind attacks. As the endless blitzkrieg wore on, his Freiturnier continued cracking and degrading.

Ara's eyes widened. The left side of Chung's breastplate had exploded, exposing lavender skin with deep purple veins.

"Caladbolg's Pain!" Chung screamed.

Suddenly a bright light surrounded the Fallen Guardian, like an explosion, and all four fighters were blown away by the roar. Chung felt the wind leave his body as he fell down, leaning on his Destroyer. His chest felt heavy like iron, his muscles like sludge. It took almost all of his strength just to open up his airways to breathe.

 _Impossible…_ thought Ara. _What are these skills? I've never seen him fight like this._

They were already back on their feet and charging him. Ara was the first to jump into the fray, using a series of flips and somersaults to land a solid strike.

There was a loud clang, as bits of armor was sent flying, followed by a loud grunt. She reappeared behind Chung and hit him with a Shadow Claw, and proceeded towards another flurry of attacks.

Infuriated, Chung gritted his teeth and tightened his muscles. They expanded like ice, exploding some parts of his armor and knocking away Ara's spear.

"Brutal Swing!" Chung bellowed as he turned around and swung his cannon. Ara was sent flying far away by the impact, landing face first next to her spear.

* * *

"Enough of this," interrupted a sinister voice. "Since you can't seem to get the job done, I'll take what little freedom you had left."

Elsword and company grunted at the sound of the voice, knowing full well that it belonged to their real enemy.

"N-no! Gyaaaaaaaah!" Chung let out an ear-piercing scream, as something forced him to his knees. An eerie red light surrounded him. He tried to cover his ears to assuage the pain, but it was still unbearable. Shortly, he began heaving like an enraged gorilla. His sclera turned black and his pupils turned blood-red like the moon.

 _Wrooooooaaaar!_

The earsplitting Iron Howl froze everyone in place, and they could only watch as Chung pounced on the dismayed Lord Knight.

"Chung! Noooo!" Elsword screamed as he fell.

 _Crackle!_

Aisha's pupils dilated when she heard the sound of Elsword's ribs breaking.

Disgusting sounds and noises were heard as Chung ruthlessly pummeled the Lord Knight's body into a pulp of flesh and bone. Elsword let out defeated tears as he felt nearly all of his bones breaking, crushed under Chung's armored fists. Elsword's limbs were sent flopping upwards with each savage punch, only to be slammed back down onto the cold hard ground by gravity. Ribs broke and limbs split apart. Displaced bones and bone fragments punctured vital organs, causing them to bleed.

"You monster!" Aisha screeched, her voice cracking. "Let him go!"

Aisha rushed into the fray with eyes wild like an animal's. Amazingly, the mage was able to knock Chung off his feet with a brutal swing of her own. Her staff, enchanted with the power of lightning, spared Elsword from further blows. Before Chung could get back up to his feet, Aisha grabbed the fallen Elsword and teleported away to a safe place, leaving Ara and Rena to deal with the Fallen Guardian.

* * *

"Sasha!" Aisha screamed desperately with tears in her eyes. "We need medical help!"

The Water Priestess, along with a crew of medics, immediately came to her aid. Mendéz arrived with a scanner and ran a beam of light down Elsword's body just like he did with Raven.

Mendéz cursed. "Internal bleeding in at least three places. We gotta get him outta here ASAP."

Aisha's heart broke hearing those words.

"Get him into the pod, Mendéz," said the head medic.

"On it. Bravo Team, let's go!"

With that, the whole crew buzzed while Mendéz stayed by Elsword's side. One of the members brought a stretcher, and the whole team worked to slide the mat under the body without disturbing it too much. Together, they lifted up the injured knight, again being careful not to cause any more internal bleeding.

 _Boom!_

The explosion rocked the entire medical team and made them drop Elsword onto the ground.

"Shadows!" yelled a medic. Following that scream was a hail of gunshots.

"Why here!? Damn!" yelled another voice.

"Move out!" ordered the head medic as she pulled out a Desert Eagle. "Protect the body!"

Shadow monsters, covered in black and outlined in neon tattoos, swarmed the labyrinth. They walked like zombies, risen from the ground and given one sole purpose—to consume.

"Don't worry, miss," Mendéz said to Aisha. "We'll handle this. You take care of your friend!"

With that, the bulky medic drew out a blade from its holster. Aisha watched as he rushed headlong into a mosh pit of enemies, swinging wildly like a bull in a china shop.

"What are you waiting for!? Go!" Mendéz shouted once again. It hadn't even been thirty seconds, and his sword was already covered in purple blood. "Storm Blade!"

* * *

Aisha teleported away, catching a glimpse of the spinning blade aura as she did. She returned to the battlefield where her friends were, and found that it was only Rena and Ara left standing.

Ara was very close to Chung, ducking and weaving below his swings to chip away at his armor even more. Rena was standing much farther away, providing suppressive fire with her bow.

"Freezing Arrow!"

The blue arrow flew straight and true, embedding itself into Chung's exposed chest. He roared like a wounded lion, unleashing the Pain of Caladbolg on Ara.

Aisha could do nothing as she watched the whole scene unfold all too quickly.

With the Asura knocked away, Chung charged towards the archer like a madman. When he got close enough, he lunged forward and slammed the Destroyer into the ground in front of Rena.

"Lunatic Fury!"

The ground cracked, and pulses of light broke through it at Chung emptied the Destroyer into the quaking floor. Rena could feel her legs breaking under the intense pressure of his attack. One final blast and she was sent flying like a baseball.

Aisha gritted her teeth and rushed towards Chung. But it was too late.

Chung had one more round. He mounted the Destroyer onto his shoulder, flipped open the sights, and aimed.

"Scare Chase," he muttered.

A homing rocket whistled out of the barrel like an old train and sped towards Rena.

 _Boom!_

The rocket hit her as she was falling, embedding her body into the wall like a fossil.

Slowly, her body peeled off the wall and fell pitifully onto the ground, landing with an "Oof!"

"Aisha wait!" A voice interrupted the scene.

But the voice fell on deaf ears, as Aisha rushed at Chung with pure rage flowing in her bloodstream like magma.

"Chaos Cannon."

Chung fed a spherical grenade into the Destroyer, causing it to glow an icy-blue color. Then he pulled the reload lever, filling up the Destroyer's mag tube with fresh cannonballs.

 _Fwuum… Fwuum…_

Cannon blasts fired out of both ends every few seconds. Some flew all the way to the back wall, creating large craters on it.

One of the blasts caught Aisha by surprise, pushing her back and knocking away her staff. Chung walked forward nonchalantly, with the cannon still firing live rounds on his shoulder. He used his other hand to draw a Silver Shooter from his hip. Thumbing back the hammer, he fired at Aisha as he neared her.

The blasts stopped when Chung was in front of her. He looked down at her with a cold expression, like a machine designed only to kill. Aisha's clothes were torn and soiled with her own blood. There were burn marks that ruined her frills, as well as bullet holes that broke through to her midsection.

Chung gritted his teeth and swung at her head violently.

Ara screamed when she saw Aisha's body landing several feet away from her. "A-Aisha!"

"K-Kuh… Ara…"

Ara stared at her wounded friend with tears in her eyes.

"You… You helped me find my first love! Now… I hope… I hope you find yours!"

"Chung… Please…" Ara pleaded with the Fallen Guardian. But he merely stared back at her with those cold, dead eyes. Gripping the Destroyer, he fired a backward blast.

"Uahh!" cried Aisha as the blast finished her off, sending her body tumbling away like a log.

A deafening silence followed, as if the universe itself stopped to witness the final showdown. Ara's eyes widened when she felt the creeping realization that she was the last one standing.

She froze when it hit her, and a cruel wind caressed her skin as Chung eyed her menacingly.

Ara was all alone.

* * *

 **Author's Endnote**

Ahhh, I'm so happy with how this turned out! I got hit with writer's block once again, but on the day we had the solar eclipse I got this sudden burst of inspiration. It was great. I went into the library and wrote the outline of a future chapter (not the next one), in under an hour. It was pure freewriting for fifty minutes straight. It was as if I was dreaming or receiving a vision, and I was just writing it down as it went. (Teaser: It's kind of like a dream sequence.)

Welp, looks like I accomplished my last minute goal before classes start on Monday, which was to update before then. This summer wasn't what I wanted, but I think it's been great nonetheless. I had originally wanted to work as a software intern, but sadly it didn't turn out that way. But I thank God that my summer turned out like it did. I needed that rest after the Spring 2017 semester. Plus, I got to meet new people in discord servers. I'd never been so close to other fanfic writers before and I'm grateful for you guys. I've learned so much this summer.

Jeez, I never thought this fic would get this far. I had originally planned it to be either one chapter, two chapters, or at maximum five chapters. But here I am, typing up an a/n in the middle of the night right after finishing Chapter 11. And we're still going strong. Unbelievable *sniff*

But sadly, school is coming back, so of course uploads will slow down. I'll try my best to ride this wave of motivation out as far as I can, as I really do long to finish this fic. Don't worry, that ending will come soon~ And I think you guys will really enjoy it.

As always, rates and reviews are always appreciated. They really encourage me to keep on writing. I'll see you guys on the next chapter. Peace!


	12. Sacrifices Pt III

**Chapter 12: Sacrifices Pt. III**

* * *

Tears that she wasn't aware of fell, gliding smoothly down her pale cheeks. Ara gazed into Chung's eyes, searching his soul for just one sign—no matter how small—that he was still in there.

For a brief moment, it happened.

Chung's eyes shifted once again. The black sclera turned white and the red pupils disappeared, revealing those clear blue eyes that Ara had come to love. Glistening tears perched at the corners of his eyes and his body trembled in indescribable grief.

"A-Ara…" he whimpered weakly, exhaustion evident in his tiny voice. Chung wanted to collapse there and then, but his legs remained frozen like stone.

"Chung…" Ara replied back, feeling the cold feeling of tears on her face. Her body trembled. She wanted more than anything to rush over there and trap him in her embrace. But all logic and training dictated that she remain where she is. She felt an invisible wall between them as she gazed longingly into his eyes.

"G-guh!" he grunted. The noise was low and disgusting like he'd just been shot or run through with a sword. Something inside of Ara broke hearing that. His eyes rolled back and darkened, replaced by those treacherous, demonic eyes.

"You monster!" Ara shrieked, as her body shook in fiery rage. "Let go of him!"

The thing stared back at her smiled a wicked smile. "Let's see you try, exorcist," its cold voice uttered.

"You bastard demon! I won't forgive you for what you've done! _Millennium Fox!_ "

"That's the spirit!" urged Eun as she manifested in her fox form. Howling fiercely into the ceiling, she called down wrathful lightning bolts from the air.

"Wonder Wall!" The Fallen Guardian called on a protective spell that covered him in a magical bubble.

The Fallen Guardian raised up the Destroyer in a defensive position, but not even that could withstand Ara's fury. The last lightning strike broke the Wonder Wall and sent him flying backwards onto the ground, singeing his armor and sending pins and needles up and down his body.

"I won't forgive you!" Ara shouted again, charging forward like a berserker.

The two found themselves in the middle of a blitzkrieg of clanging metals, cannon blasts, and gunshots. They attacked and defended, going to and fro like lions in fierce close-quarters combat.

The floor around them cracked under the intensity of battle. But it wasn't long before one of them finally got the upper hand. The Fallen Guardian caught one of Ara's swings with the Destroyer.

"Sharpshooter Syndrome!"

Chung raised his revolver to the skies and fired, causing a dome of blinding light to appear all around them. Ara raised her spear to defend, gritting her teeth as the blinding light burned her with its intense heat.

The burning stopped, and the light was gone with it. Ara opened her eyes and saw Chung still poised with his gun in the air. Seeing the opening, Ara lunged forward and attacked.

She went through all of her Phantom Fox Stances. From Savor, to Discordance, to Rapid Raid, and finally to Fox's Meal, she executed them all in perfect order with perfect technique. She slashed relentlessly with Phantom Claws, darting back and forth like a deadly hummingbird. Ending her assault with an Energy Orb and a strong swing.

Ara attempted her Secret Art: Pulverization. But before she could, Chung let out a loud shriek. It was that ear piercing Iron Howl again, but this time the pitch was much higher. Ara shielded her ears from the howl, but the frequency of the infernal sound threatened to break them right then and there.

She felt the wind leave her when Chung finished his Iron Howl. Frozen to where she stood right there, she could only prepare herself for the worst, as she couldn't even defend herself.

* * *

"Lunatic Fury!"

Chung slammed the Destroyer into the ground and the ground cracked beneath him, releasing bright lights and shockwaves upward. Ara barely raised her weapon to defend, but she could feel her legs breaking under the immense stress of the attack.

After the last explosion, Ara was sent flying up and away. She fell hard on the rigid floor, feeling her body deflate as the wind fled her lungs. Landing right next to Aisha, Ara turned slowly towards her. Dark-red blood stained her white garments, but Ara could make out Aisha's chest still rising and falling.

"Aisha… I'm sorry…" lamented Ara as she met her friend's faded purple eyes. In the distance, the Fallen Guardian walked slowly to them, his icy footsteps beating rhythmically like a war drum. Chips fell from the damaged places on the Guardian's corrupted Freiturnier, landing harshly on the ground and disintegrating into black ash.

"Shhh… It's fine…" the wounded mage whispered with a weak smile. "Don't worry about me." Aisha fished inside of her cloak and pulled out her last Complete Recovery Potion.

"...! That's—"

"Yes. Take it."

"But—"

"Listen to me. I've helped as much… (cough) as I can..." Aisha's voice began to waver. "This is your duty and yours alone… Fight for the one you love."

"Aisha…"

"Don't worry about me," she smiled. "Good luck." With that, the Elemental Master used the last of her mana and teleported away somewhere safe.

It took all her strength for Ara to lift the bottle to her lips. She could feel the numbing liquid sliding down her esophagus and into her stomach. From there, the liquid began its work, quickly working its way out of the stomach and into her bloodstream, repairing wounds and tears and scars.

"Thanks, Aisha," she muttered.

With renewed strength, Ara got back up to face the Fallen Guardian, who was now within dueling distance of her. A sudden flash enveloped Ara and made the Fallen Guardian stop in his tracks. The light faded away to reveal Ara in her Celestial form. Her fierce ruby eyes stared unwaveringly at the Guardian as her smooth white hair and nine tails swished behind her. Twirling her spear like a baton, she pointed the tip of the blade at Chung.

The Guardian bared his fangs and leaped at her like a lion, but Ara easily sidestepped his attack.

Chung stumbled and lost his balance. Ara took this chance to attack.

"Fox Fire!"

She lunged forward and swing her spear in a wide arc, creating a phantom claw that slashed across Chung's exposed back. Balls of fire flew out like a hellstorm, trapping him in a burning tornado.

Ara held her left hand out and planted her spear on it like a pool stick. She pressed her cheek against the wood of the spear and aimed. She violently thrusted the spear forward. It pierced Chung's back.

Chung let out a loud bellow at the impact, feeling it rip through his armor like a drill.

With his chest and torso now fully exposed, Chung stood in high alert with his Destroyer raised in a defensive position. After a while, he relaxed a bit, releasing some of the tension in his muscles with a deep breath. Then he slammed the Destroyer onto the ground. As the seismic wave expanded outwards away from him, Chung entered into Berserker Awakening, enveloping the room in a bright light.

When it subsided, parts of the Freiturnier were restored. Chung also had on a mask and a hood, concealing his whole face in darkness. Yet there were two red eyes that pierced through the darkness, eyes that could kill a man should he stare for too long.

Chung scanned the area with his enhanced vision, sending out body-sensing pulses like a millimeter wave scanner.

No sign of her. Oh well, if he didn't find her, then his missiles would.

"Shooting Star!"

The bright blue missiles circled the room looking for prey, but they merely crashed into the walls and kicked up dust like a storm.

Chung tried again.

"Dread Chase!"

The missiles split into tiny homing bomblets that scanned the room again, but no luck. They just exploded into the walls and floor, kicking up more dust and debris.

But little did Chung know that Ara was much closer than he thought. By hiding her mana's presence, neither Chung nor his homing missiles were unable to detect her presence. Even with the demon's extrasensory abilities, he could not see or hear her. She hung upside down from the ceiling high above him, perched like a bat about to dive towards its prey.

Ara let herself fall from her position, her limbs blooming outwards like a flower. As she fell, Ara gripped her spear with both hands and swung downwards with all her strength.

"Falling Dragon!" she bellowed. A resounding crack was heard as Ara landed her blow right on Chung's back. He screeched in pain once the deadly attack connected, and his restored armor broke as he fell to the ground.

* * *

The ground beneath them split open and heavy slabs of stone rose upwards like a wave. With a great crash, the Fallen Guardian fell face-first onto the floor. Ara panted heavily in weariness. She had spent all her strength to barely defeat him. She could feel exhaustion creep its cold hand over her arms, her shoulders, and eventually her whole body. She struggled to keep her eyes open. Her hair oscillated between white and black. The image of her nine tails and fox ears began to waver, before disappearing altogether to reveal Ara in her normal form. She leaned on her spear for balance, her silky black locks falling over her face.

It took all her strength to bend down and flip his body. Pain flared in her legs and the muscles on her chest and arms tightened up like iron. The ground quaked when she turned him over.

She leaned in close and took his pulse, praying to God that he was still alive. The artery in his neck was still pulsing. It was faint, but it pulsed.

He was alive. That brought Ara to tears.

"Gah!" she grunted when his hand grabbed her throat. Chung had awakened, black eyes wide with rage and murderous intent.

"Ch-chung… Ack! Ch-chung..." she whimpered.

Suddenly a bright light surrounded them and a mysterious force sent Ara flying from Chung's grip. In shock, Ara craned her neck to see what the hell just happened.

Aren stood in the distance, dressed in his Sakra Devanam clothes and gripping a spear with both hands. It wasn't his old, ornate spear that had its uncanny aquamarine color with a silver finish. The weapon he held was a legendary spear that the Temple had held for centuries.

Chung's body was held in mid-air by many brilliant arcane circles, all bright, golden, and embroidered with the ancient language of Fahrmann.

"Banishing Strike!"

Aren dashed past the floating body, swinging his spear with furious precision. Bright beams of light cut through the magical glyphs, shattering them like glass and exploding them. The sound of thunder cut above all the explosions as the spirit inside of Chung was banished to arid places.

When the light subsided, Chung's eyes were closed once again, and his body lay still as a stone.

"A-Aren…" muttered Ara, tears forming on the corners of her eyes. Legs wobbling, body convulsing, Ara collapsed into her older brother's arms in a fit of uncontrolled weeping. She had held it in for too long. Sasha was right; she was a hero. But she was no god. She was just as human—and just as vulnerable—as the next man. As Chung was.

Aren held his sister in his arms. He, too, had tears in his eyes as he caressed Ara's back and held her close. They remained there for as much time as they needed, clinging to each other like their lives depended on it.

An eternity passed, and they separated. Their eyes drooped down to the body that lay under them. Its faded, glassy, cerulean eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling.

"Is… Is he okay?" Ara whimpered.

Aren said nothing. Instead, he kneeled down and placed the center of his palm on Chung's faded forehead. Closing his eyes, Aren's hair rose like a tide as he used his spiritual energy to probe the body.

His hair settled back down slowly, like the tranquil morning waves of the ocean. He opened his eyes, revealing a serious expression. "That damn Rahaziel…" Aren cursed. "He knew his time was up, so he dragged Chung's spirit away with him…"

Ara's almost choked on her own breath hearing those words. "Wh-what?"

"The spirit, Rahaziel, that was controlling your friend had actually displaced his soul… As in disembodied…" Aren said with awe in his voice. "As of now, Chung's soul is wandering in the spiritual realm just like he is…"

Aren heaved a heavy sigh after he laid all of that out on the table.

"No… No… No!" Ara raged as her heart turned inside her chest. "It can't end like this! I _won't_ let it end like this! How do I get him back!?"

Silence. Aren pursed his lips and stared a thousand yards into the distance, afraid to tell his sister the truth.

"Answer me, Aren!" Ara yelled.

But he had to. Ara would never forgive him, as gracious as she was, if he were to hold back from her the only way to save her love.

He let out another sigh. "There is one way… But before I say it, I want to tell you something." He sighed at the body that lay lifeless on the ground, devoid of a soul to occupy it. "I wish I had gotten to know him… From the stories that you and the others have told me, he seemed like such a wonderful man. Caring, kind, loving. A gentleman and a protector through and through."

He eyed his sister, who was now letting the tears flow silently down her cheeks as she listened to his solemn words. Aren took a finger and wiped away one of her tears, chuckling when he saw her beautiful smile through her tears. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. Ara had grown so much. She wasn't the clumsy little sister he grew up with and mentored lovingly over the years anymore. Ara had grown into a beautiful woman—a woman with her own visions, her own dreams, and of course her own love interests. Aren respected that.

He closed his eyes once more to prepare himself. "Ara… There is one ritual that can bring him back. You've never learned it. In fact, it's a forbidden ritual."

"Forbidden…" She echoed.

"And for a very good reason. The ritual is called Fēnliè. Split."

"Split…" she repeated, letting her breath fade in the heavy air.

"As the name suggests, the ritual will split your soul from your body, allowing you to traverse the spiritual realm while leaving your body still. Just as he is."

"Oh…"

"The reason it's forbidden is that once you perform this ritual, it's highly unlikely you'll make it back. The spiritual realm is a strange world. Like a labyrinth that shifts to and fro like the waves of the sea."

Aren let his words hang in the air before proceeding.

"If you fail to find Chung and bring him back, you'll end up just like him right now. Forever," Aren finished, gesturing to Chung's lifeless body with his eyes.

"Forever…" Ara repeated.

"This…" he continued. "This is the ultimate test. This man. How much do you love him?"

Ara remained silent, letting the cold air around her envelop her in its chilliness as she searched her soul for the truth. How much did she love Chung? Did she love him enough to risk death for him? Was he worth dying for?

* * *

"Time's ticking," Aren warned. "Decide now."

Ara closed her eyes as she felt resolve building in her heart. From all the battles that she and Chung fought. All the moments that they shared, whether alone or with friends. Even though Chung had his flaws. Even though he hurt her deeply from what he did, or tried to do. She still saw gold in him. She saw someone worth loving.

Someone worth dying for.

"I do," she said finally. "I do love him enough."

Aren flashed a small smile. As expected from his headstrong sister.

"Then let's get to it."

* * *

Ara sat on her knees, meditating. An intricate circle had been drawn around her, similar to the circles that were summoned from Aren's Banishing Strike. Aren muttered the incantations, and the drawings on the floor began to glow with the brilliance of the sun.

"Be still…" he whispered. In his hands was a ceremonial dagger, azure blue and decorated with the history of his people. He carefully brought it up to the spot behind Ara's head, and gently touched the spot with the tip of the blade.

"I love you, Ara…" Aren said with tears. "Come back safe."

"I will."

Then he drove the tip of the dagger into the back of her head, and her soul was released into the unknown.

* * *

 **Author's Endnote**

First off, shout out to Chibi Skye for helping your boy out all this time. She's the one that's making sure these chapters are quality. Big thanks, mate.

It's currently 1 am as I struggle to write this author's endnote. I just ended a gaming session a while ago, and my brain is kaput right now. Demolition is a fun but stressful game-mode, I tell you. But I enjoyed writing this chapter. I really did. The last few chapters have been pretty action packed, so I decided to cut back on it a bit for this one. This time, I made some room for some emotional development for Aren and Ara (mainly Ara). That was pretty cool. Let me know what you think about that.

Wow. We are making progress. I think the next chapter should come out fairly quickly since I have an outline of it already. No promises, though. Things are moving in my academic and my "professional" career. Doing stuff outside of class to give my resume a huge boost so I can get some nice internships and some nice jobs in the long run. I do want to finish this fic, but right now my main focus is doing well in school and doing what I can to build a better future for myself.

Reviews are always appreciated. Not gonna lie, past chapters haven't gotten that many reviews (which kinda makes me sad). S/o to justforfum for being one of those few though, you made me happy :D. Anyways, I've rambled on for too long. I'll see you guys on the next one. Peace!


	13. Broken

**Chapter 13: Broken**

* * *

Ara Haan awoke to the feeling of the cold floor frosting her cheeks, to the point where it hurt too much to stay in that place. She got up and stretched out her arms, seeing a living kaleidoscope of flashes and static when she closed her eyes.

It took awhile for the double vision to wear off. Ara almost got a headache seeing two pictures of the world swirling around each other until converging into one vision. She blinked a few times to shake away the blurriness, feeling pain pulse through her temples each time. Finally, she got up to examine her surroundings.

* * *

Ara was in the middle of a labyrinth. Walls of light blue bricks with elaborate engravings surrounded her. The bricks seemed to be meticulously designed. Their individual engravings came together to form a larger picture describing some sort of ancient battle.

There were paths everywhere that led to nowhere, stone paths zigzagging into infinite loops or dead ends. Fear set into her soul like a cold heartburn, as Aren's words whispered through her mind.

 _The spiritual realm is a strange world. Like a labyrinth that shifts to and fro like the waves of the sea._

Ara gulped.

 _If you fail to find Chung and bring him back, you'll end up just like him right now. Forever._

Forever. Ara pondered that word, trying to perceive its full meaning with regards to this place. She shuddered at the thought of calling this damned place home. With its gray colors, cold temperatures, and eerie inscriptions. Ara would rather die.

"Eun… Do you know this place?"

 _I do. But I also do not. I've only traversed this place once. And I got lucky…_ the spirit replied. _I'm afraid I'm just as lost as you are._

Clenching her teeth, Ara looked around to see if there was a path she should take. Nothing. They all looked the same.

"Damn it…" she cursed under her breath. Clenching her fists, she decided to just pick a path and take it.

* * *

A door to another universe was the last thing Ara expected. As soon as she crossed into the labyrinth, a stone slab shut her inside, locking her in total darkness.

The void faded into white, revealing a scene from eons ago that Ara had locked away in her heart. A hot, dry wind punched her in the face, carrying with it the scent of brimstone and the sound of distant screams. In front of here was a sign that read "Fahrmann."

Ara trembled as tears welled up in her eyes. She watched helplessly as creatures in black raided her home.

A woman's scream interrupted her thoughts. Ara turned to see her running away from the black mass chasing after her. The woman tripped on a pebble, and Ara heard that horrible sound when she twisted her ankle. The poor woman landed on the ground in front of Ara with a thud. She looked hopelessly upwards at the sky as the demon ripped into her body with its wicked claws. Her cries were muffled by her own blood as she felt her bones being broken and displaced.

Ara watched in child-like horror as the creature ripped the woman's innards out, piece by piece, bone by bone, limb by limb, enjoying every moment of it with sick delight. The spearwoman sank to her knees at what she witnessed. She knew she had seen this same exact scene before, all those years ago as a young girl.

The demon moved on to its next victim, passing by her as if it couldn't see her. But Ara didn't care. The pain of these old wounds rushing back towards her was too much to bear.

"Wroooaaar!"

Ara turned her eyes to the sound, and she saw Farhan, one of her elder brothers, fighting against a group of demons. They all encircled him like a pack of lions, and he stood in the middle with an iron grip on his spear. The flames of the night caused the bronze and gold in his armor to glitter eerily. His chest rose and fell as Farhan struggled to keep himself composed. He had a fiery, determined expression, brightened by the glistening beads of sweat on his face.

But Ara knew better.

"Farhan, get out of there!" Ara bellowed at him. But he remained there, not even turning his ear to him. It was as if he couldn't hear the cries of his sister warning him that he was going to die. The demons leapt at him all at once. He ducked and strafed, managing to kill two demons with a volley of savage death blows. But more converged upon him, and soon he ended up just like that poor woman. Limbs and organs torn apart and merrily passed around like spoils of war.

The creatures went on, torching the last few houses and dragging all of those inside out into the dirt roads. The children went first. One by one, they tossed them up into the air, letting them fall onto their spear blades. The adults were next, killed by a simple slash to the throat.

Ara bitterly gritted her teeth as old memories pierced her again with a thousand shards of glass. The worst part was that she had seen these things before. Seen the woman being eaten like an animal. Seen her brothers ripped apart in a similar fashion one by one. Seen the fire in the sky mingling with the dying screams of her loved ones all around her, until it was only the sound of crackling wood.

This was it. This was the memory she had tried so hard to run away from. All coming back to haunt her like a dream. It didn't feel real, and in a sense, it wasn't. This wasn't the real world. So this couldn't be real. Right?

...Right?

 _Oh God, please tell me I'm right._

Ara almost wished that one of those demons would just stop and end her right then and there. Frozen to the hard ground with fire all around her, Ara wished for death. But it eluded her.

A cold breeze caressed her hair, and Ara immediately raised her eyes.

"No way…" she breathed in disbelief, feeling the breeze caress her whole body in its comfortable cool. All of a sudden, footsteps appeared on the ground before her, outlining the footprints in a mystic azure glow. Sounds of whispers seemed to surround her, drowning out the fire and the screams and the pain.

"...Follow me…" it commanded.

Ara nodded, weakly getting back up to her feet. Thankfully, the spirit wasn't impatient. It stood there, giving off a friendly vibe, as it waited for Ara to get back on her feet.

"Okay… I'm ready."  
The spirit led her down the old dirt road, past the broken boulevard of old memories best left forgotten. Ara eyed her surroundings melancholically, taking in the burnt signs and the collapsed, burning roofs as she walked the same road she always walked as a child. House by house she passed, before stopping a particular one that had especially painful memories tied to it.

Ara choked out a few more tears as she stood before her old mansion. It was one of the best houses all around the Northern Xin empire, complete with ornate roofs, large stone statues, and intricate symbols hung on the walls. It was a beautiful home, almost like a palace for Haan royalty.

And now it was burning, burning, burning…  
The spirit stayed for a while. It manifested as a glowing footprint on the ground by the stone steps. Ara stood before her old home, taking the time to face her inner demons as the fires seemed to lash out for her.

She stared unwaveringly at the scene, and her eyes did not diverge neither to the right nor to the left. She knew that her dead parents were inside, cut through and bled out by the hands of her very own brother, whom she loved so dearly. A tornado of emotions whirled inside of her as feelings of intense grief and loss threatened to break her spirit again. But still, she stood there. Broken, but still willing and able to fight.

Ara felt the spirit's hand laying on her shoulder. There was that comfortable cool again. She smiled, letting tears fall freely down her cheeks. The hand trailed down her bicep, then her forearm, caressing her fingers. Then the footsteps started again. Away from the stone steps. Away from the gates. Away from her old house.

For her time there had passed.

* * *

The sky changed from night to day the further she got away from the burning village. There was still that hole in her heart from the grievous loss she suffered that day. It's still there and it always will be, yet the dawn still comes and the sun still rises. The cool breeze wiped her tears away as the day rose above the distant hills.

The mysterious spirit lead her onwards, past sand dunes and plains and meadows. As she walked, the landscape grew bizarre, as volcanoes sat side by side with glaciers. Though the heat was intense, Ara did not feel hunger or thirst or exhaustion. She ventured on, following the trail of glowing footsteps that was always ahead of her, neither deviated to the right nor the left.

Soon, Ara reached the end of the world, where all of the lands beneath dropped off into an eternal abyss. She stopped, watching in disbelief as the glowing footsteps outlined a path through the darkness that didn't exist.

"...Come…" it beckoned to her. "Do not be afraid. As long as I guide you the Abyss has no power."

Nervously, Ara obeyed the mysterious spirit's orders. With each step into the darkness, large slabs of stone emerged from the depths, coming together to catch her feet. Ara smiled in wonder as more stone slabs rose from the darkness to create a path for her. She walked more confidently, and soon she started running as the path continued meandering through the void. All around her, she saw bits of the cold stone that once trapped her, little pieces of the labyrinth she spawned in. But Ara did not fear, as long as the mysterious spirit guided her, none of it had any power over her.

Eventually, the path ended at a doorway. The door looked identical to the doors at the Temple of Water, tall and wide with huge doors that took the strength of multiple men to open.

The spirit stopped in front of her, this time manifesting itself in the image of a young woman. Ara's eyes widened when she saw who was guiding her all along.

"M-mother…" Ara choked out with tears on her face. "Mother!"

"Darling…" Mother Haan began, caressing the chin of her daughter. "You were always the weakest one…"

Ara shriveled like a burnt leaf at that statement. "I know… I know I'm weak, mother…"

"Do not despise small beginnings child. You were always the weakest one, but now you are the strongest."

"The strongest?" Ara couldn't believe those words. Not after a childhood of always being the loser. Always being the outcast among her brothers and sisters.

Always being the weakest.

"How am I the strongest?" Ara questioned again. "Have you seen Aren?"

"Yes. I have been watching him all this time."

"Then how… How do you think I am the strongest?"

"Because you didn't give in to the influence. Because you rescued him."

"I…" Ara dropped off suddenly. "I didn't defeat him…"

"I didn't say you defeated him. I said you rescued him. That, I believe, took more strength than defeating him would. It took courage. It took faith." The woman paused, looking Ara directly in the eyes with a gaze full of warmth and comfort. "It took love, which I can see is overflowing out of your very soul."

Mother Haan took her daughter's arm, running her warm fingers down her forearm and intertwining their fingers together. Then, all of a sudden, she pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'm so proud of you, honey…"

"I… I love you, mother."

Mother Haan drew away, resting her hands on Ara's shoulders and looking at her with that same expression. "I'm glad… I'm glad that I was able to guide you, even for a little bit. Even if our moments wouldn't last."

The woman placed her hand on the huge doors, and the engravings on them glowed a mystic azure color, the same glow that she herself emitted.

"My time is short, child," Mother Haan said. "Go… Go and rescue the one you love!"

Seven winds blew out from her, causing Ara to cover her face and step back. As the glow encompassed the engravings on the door, Mother Haan's body became more and more transparent, until her body was gone and her soul had left. But Ara did not mourn. She had already done that on the day her mother died in Fahrmann. The Asura merely stood there, eyeing the open door that was before her, thanking God for those few more moments with her beloved mother, who had guided her all along.

With lionhearted confidence, Ara stepped through the portal, not fearing the horrors that awaited her on the other side.

* * *

Author's Endnote:

Heyy, it's been awhile since I updated this fic. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Less action, a little more development. Sorry it's taken so long, but I've just went through one of my toughest semesters yet. Not just academically, but emotional healthwise I ran into some pretty low spots in my life. Thankfully I managed to find help, but still that day to day is a struggle. Thanks for sticking it out (for those of you who are still following this fic, anyways), and I'll see you guys on the next one!


	14. Savior

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."

—Jn. 15:13

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Savior**

* * *

The heavy doors closed behind her, and Ara Haan found herself in a dark corridor lined with iron braziers. A dark red carpet was laid in between the braziers, outlining a path through the hallways. The edges of the carpet had an elaborate frame woven into it using gold thread while shadows danced in the middle.

 _Badabump… Bump… Bump…_

In the distance, she heard the thumping of war drums, muffled by the thick cobblestone walls that surrounded her. Following the sound, Ara walked along the velvet carpet, letting the shadows be the war paint on her face. Not wanting to waste any more time, she began walking faster. Her walk turned into a run that eventually broke into a full-on sprint. She dashed down the long hallway until the sound of the beating drums were so loud that her ears began to ring. Up ahead was an open portcullis.

Sounds of laughter invaded her ears when she stepped out into an arena. Looking all around the raised bleachers, she saw demons of every shape and form exchanging filthy banter with each other with dirty cups in their hands. She turned away in disgust at the sight of the creatures, but even then she could feel their lecherous stares burning on her skin. But something up ahead broke whatever composure she had maintained this whole time:

Her beloved Chung.

Chained to the wall and marred with cuts all over his unclothed body, the mere sight of him filled Ara with all manner of rage and sorrow.

"A-ra…" he choked, squeezing a few painful tears out of his blackened eye. She watched in horror as those tears traveled down his face and his body, paving a river of glass wherever they traced.

"Chung…" she finally spoke. "Chung!"

A leathery hand grabbed her wrist. She turned to see who it was. A giant lizard demon who had been ogling at her for a while had made the move. Rage burned within her like hellfire, seeing this disgusting _thing_ touch her.

"Unhand me, you filth! I'll murder all of you!" Ara bellowed as a bright flash consumed her, transforming her into her Celestial form. The giant creature stepped back, and once the light subsided, it saw a maiden with snow-white hair and nine flowing tails.

"Suffer!" she commanded them as yellow thunder boomed from above. The storm shook the entire coliseum as boulders of sandstone fell from their places. The lightning bolts hit those in the stands, immediately obliterating them and leaving nothing but a thin layer of white ash.

Shouts and screeches sounded about as the lightning bolts crashed down, felling the obelisks in the corners of the arena. The demons tried to flee, but none of them made it past the portcullis. Some jumped into the infinite desert beyond the walls of the Coliseum. Some even tried to fly away, only to be struck down by lightning. With one swift command, Ara had annihilated all those in the bleachers.

Clouds appeared overhead after her furious thunderstorm, and it began to rain lightly. The sound of the rain mixed in with the echoes of her wrath, creating an unbearable tension in the air.

The only people that remained in the Coliseum were Chung, Ara, and a hooded figure that stood in the Emperor's seat high above the arena. Staring into the emperor's seat, Ara saw that the man had sleek black hair and a pale complexion, complemented by his soulless, blood red eyes. These were same eyes Chung had as the Fallen Guardian. The figure sat cross-legged, swirling an arcane mix of wines in the golden chalice in his hand. Taking one last gulp, he slammed it down on the table next to him and disappeared in a puff of black smoke.  
Ara immediately snapped onto a defensive stance, with her eyes darting left and right to catch any incoming attacker.

A black shadow appeared to her left, and instinctively she stuck her spear out to catch the opponent.

"Gyah!" the man grunted, wounded by Ara's blade. He clutched his shoulder with a gloved hand. A pink glow surrounded his hand, causing his wound to heal at an accelerated rate.

"Spell Storm!"

A whirling tornado of flames surrounded her, tearing at the man's body like a wild buzzsaw. She glared at him intensely as the flames ripped at him, staring deep into his eyes but finding no soul within.

Ara lunged forward with flames swirling around the tip of her spear. She drove it deep into the man's body, not once breaking eye contact with him. For all he had put her and her friends through, she would make him suffer in eternal torment.

She twirled once more, launching him into the air with one last fiery swing. Before he even landed, the hooded man disappeared once again in a puff of black smoke. Instinctively, Ara stomped the ground and poured her spirit into the earth below. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, listening quietly for his movements. In doing this, she became keenly aware of her surroundings. The sand, the ruins, and even the watching stars above. Ara remained still as she listened to the whispers of her environment.

 _…! There!_

She suddenly opened her eyes and swung her legs backward. Once again, she caught Rahaziel with the savage roundhouse. A wicked smile grew on her face as she heard his painful grunt, watching as he kneeled onto the sand and coughed up black blood.

Gritting his teeth, he leaped into the air to initiate a counterattack.

"Stomp!"

Rahaziel smashed the ground, causing a brutal shockwave to burst forth, shaking the sand and further cracking the walls. Chung felt the impact shake his whole body like jelly, but the wall had been broken so badly that it freed his chains. He collapsed onto the floor, with only his two weakened arms to break his fall. He coughed onto the sand, heaving and wheezing until his throat was dry.

Although his head swam, a small smile grew on Chung's weary face when he looked up and saw Ara fighting for him. Even in the midst of the combat and the chaos, something welled up within him when he saw her fight with such vigor.

He watched as Rahaziel pushed forward, attacking relentlessly with his Shadow Claws. But even as Ara retreated, she parried all of his attacks perfectly like a dance.  
 _Cling! Clang! Clong!_

The sounds of reflected blades reverberated like wind chimes. Rahaziel aggressively pushed forward, swinging wildly at the retreating Asura, hoping to land that one critical hit.

"Rrrah!" Rahaziel's upward slash connected, launching Ara high into the air. She grunted in pain as the dark claws sliced parts of her clothes. After quickly gathering her bearings, Ara twirled in midair as she gripped her spear with both hands.

"Falling Dra-"

"Reverse Gravity!" Rahaziel's eyes glowed with a mystic purple color as a circle drew itself beneath his feet. The earth trembled as Ara was suspended in midair. Ara choked as the air was crushed out of her lungs, her fingers nearly losing their grip on her weapon.

As Ara remained suspended breathlessly in the air, Rahaziel remained still with both arms raised to the skies. His body tensed and trembled as he maintained his stance as if he held the weight of a whole planet with his arms.

Rahaziel threw his arms down, and everything within the circle came crashing into the floor at Mach speeds. Ara would've puked due to the sudden acceleration, but there was nothing to throw out. As she was crashing onto the floor, Ara projected her spiritual energy downwards. It blasted against the sand like a gust of wind, slowing her fall until Ara landed safely on her feet.

"Eternal Destiny!" Rahaziel clenched his fists and pumped his chest out towards the sky. Suddenly, a tornado of black flame surrounded the two, eclipsing them from sight.  
"Ara!" Chung cried as he raised a hand towards her. But he shrank back as pain flared up in his side like a fresh stab wound.

Ara endured the searing pain as she summed her own shadows to envelop her. Under the cover of her Spectre Walk, Ara stepped through the fiery walls of Eternal Destiny unburned. From the outside, she could still hear Rahaziel forcing his energy into that attack, and she began charging her own counter-attack. As Rahaziel focused entirely on keeping the black flames lit, Ara, who was now in her Celestial form, rushed back into the darkness to attack him. As soon as she broke through, the entire wall of black flames evaporated into a gray mist, leaving a paralyzed enemy ripe for the picking.  
Ara attacked hard and fast, executing a highly complex combination of swings and jabs that Rahaziel could hardly keep up with. Chung had never seen her fight like that before. On the battlefield, Ara had always been held back, in some way or form, by her crippling self-doubt. But here… when she had to fight for someone so precious to her… It unchained her and made her look so beautiful in the middle of it all.

 _Clang!_ Rahaziel blocked a downward swing, causing Ara to stumble a bit.

"Stomp!" Rahaziel shouted as his feet glowed an eerie violet color.

Ara leaped backward to escape the shockwave. After Rahaziel landed, he rushed at Ara with black flames licking at his heels. She raised her spear in front of her to shield herself from his rising shadow claw. There was a loud clash of steel, leaving the two staggering backward.

Ara slid backward as she held her spear in a defensive position. Rahaziel, on the other hand, slammed his hands onto the sand as he got on all fours. Black flames enveloped his wrists and ankles as his eyes sharpened like steel, focusing on its target and nothing else.

By the time Ara regained her balance, she peered around her blade and saw Rahaziel charging at her like a superpowered cheetah. She squealed in pain as the beast swiped at her face and pinned her to the dust. A scratch appeared under her right eye as a single drop of blood traveled down her cheek. Ara squirmed as she tried in vain to keep Rahaziel's infernal claws away, raising her spear in front of her in a desperate attempt to defend herself.

The two were caught in a grueling wrestling match that left Ara more and more wounded as it drove on. Ara slowly and painfully wrenched her legs upwards as she fought to keep him away. But when she finally got her knees to her chest, she placed the flat of her feet on Rahaziel's chest and kicked him clean away.

As Rahaziel barreled away from the sudden kick, Ara gracefully got back on her feet and got on the offensive. While the enemy was still reeling, she used that opportunity to swing her spear down like a meteor. Rahaziel barely blocked her attack with his metal armguard, and it cracked from that one strike. Ara kept the pressure on, gripping her spear with both hands and forcing Rahaziel onto his knees. Ara pumped her spiritual energy into her spear and a black mist hovered over the steel of her weapon, supernaturally sharpening the blade. Rahaziel's face contorted as he strained his hardest to keep the infernal spear blade away.

Ara kneed him in the chin, drew her weapon back, then brought her spear down again like a guillotine.

 _Shing!_

The man bellowed in pain once the blade broke through the armguard and cutting clean through his arm. Immediately the black flames on his wrists and ankles fizzled out. Gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes in sheer agony, Rahaziel clutched the stump where his left hand used to be. The stump leaked black blood which mixed with the sand below. He watched with tears as his severed arm gave its last dying twitches, scrambling for life but not finding it.

"Do you see that?" Ara twirled her spear as her Celestial form wore off. "That will be you in just a moment."

"I-Impossible…" he heaved, pressing his only hand against his chest. Exhaustion came upon him like a heavy burden, and the man struggled to even breathe. "How could you best me so easily?"

Ara raised his chin with the tip of her spear; the blade was so sharp that it easily cut through his stone-like skin and oozed more drops of black blood at the tip. She stared once more into his soul, probing what was behind those corrupted, blood-ruby orbs. His eyes shifted wildly to avoid her piercing gaze, like an animal caught in a trap scrambling to escape.

"I beat you because I did not fight for myself." She lifted his chin even higher, drawing more blood from him. "You only fight for greed and power. I fought because I had someone to protect."

Rahaziel grunted painfully as Ara drove her spear deeper into his neck, letting his blood drip out and travel along the blade. The blood did not fall into the sand below, for it was absorbed by the spiritual power that hovered over the steel.

His skin began to dry the longer he stayed there. His entire left side felt numb, wincing as he tried to wiggle fingers that weren't there anymore.

Feeling his death coming soon, Rahaziel's eyes suddenly sharpened as he drew his right hand. A myriad of Shadow Claws protruded from his fingers as they beamed with dark energy, sucking up the light around it. The claws spread out like the wing of a fallen angel prepared to swipe with final deadly force.

Rahaziel was about to swing when a loud, male voice interrupted his attack.

"Trick Shot!"

He grunted as two blue bullets rammed into his side, leaving smoking holes where they hit. Ara looked, with bewildered eyes, to the source of the sound. Chung stood there with a lone Silver Shooter in his right hand. Ara's eyes traveled from his head to his toes, noting the hardened expression, Chung's wounded and dirty torso, the smoking gun, down to his ragged legs. Taking into account all of his wounds, it must've taken everything just to stand up.

Rahaziel grunted and the claws fizzled out as the paralysis took effect, bringing Ara back to her senses. Looking back at him, she plunged her spear deep into his body, and the blade cleaved straight through his heart.

"Nghuhh!" Rahaziel heaved as blood caught in his throat. The thick black liquid leaked out the sides of his mouth, dripping down his chin and onto the sand.

"You…" Rahaziel smiled as if he'd have the last laugh, even if it was on the other side. "Even if you kill me… You won't make it out of here…"

"And why not?"

"You've caused such a ruckus… They…"—even Rahaziel struggled to say the name—"They're coming…"

Ara raised a brow. "What?"

"Oh no…" cut in Chung as he dropped his lone pistol onto the ground. He stretched his back as he covered his eyes in panic.

Rahaziel smiled as he let out a quiet, victorious laugh. "Oh, he knows… They are ravenous beasts that have adapted to the corruption that has grown in this world. Even feared by the gods of this realm… If they so much as touch you… You'll end up right where I'll be…" The man got up close to her, clutching the spear that held his heart. With one final breath, he uttered, "And we'll be best friends in hell…"

Enraged, Ara pushed her spear even further. The blade broke through to the other side of his body, carrying his heart with it. Rahaziel's head bobbed up and down, carrying that sick, pained smile with it. She withdrew her spear as his body limply fell on the ground. With a flick of her wrist, she removed Rahaziel's heart and crushed it underfoot.

* * *

Chung remained totally shaken by Rahaziel's final words.

"Chung?" Ara called out to him as she came closer. "Chung? Why… Why are you crying?"

The boy slowly craned his neck upwards to meet her gaze, and Ara gasped when she saw his many tears flowing down his face. His jaw quivered along with his whole body.

"Chung! Snap out of it!"

"Ara… You don't understand…"

As if on cue, a cacophony of monotonous groans could be heard all around. Chung closed his eyes and blocked his ears at the sound.

Ara turned at the sound. "What the hell is that?"  
Swiftly, she hopped and skipped out of the arena pit, up the bleachers, and peered over the edge where the cracked walls were. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that literally thousands of creatures surrounded the Coliseum on all sides. They growled low and steady like starving beasts, acidic drool dripping from their hanging lips and then sizzling in the sand below them. The creatures were short in stature, constantly crouching and ready to leap. Protecting them was hard, dry skin that stuck to their bones like chitin. For some, the corruption had so overtaken them that their skin was gray with neon blue crystal shards coming out of their shoulders and back.

"They… They look like zombies…" Ara commented.  
"And they'll eat you all the same!" Chung bellowed in despair.

Ara turned to Chung, who was still standing in the arena.

"I've seen people get eaten by those things… The first group that gets it passes the person around like a trophy."

Ara didn't soften her expression, but she listened intently to what Chung was going to say.

"One by one, they each took a bite while the person is still alive. Passed around like spoils until the person is totally consumed with no trace left. And I… I was supposed to be next."

"So?" Ara shot him a glaring look. "Rahaziel is dead, and you're coming back home with me."

"Ara…" Chung whimpered, rubbing his wounded leg. Ara returned to the arena pit and looked down at his leg. Deep cuts lined it like ravines in the wilderness. Age made the wounds fester, coloring his leg in a sick palette of purples and grays.

"Chung…" She teared up once she saw his state up close, but steeled herself quickly. "We have to move!"

"Ara…" Chung looked up at her sadly. "I can't run with these wounds… Just… Just leave… It's (cough) fine… I deserve to be here…"  
"Chung, don't—"  
"No!" Chung lashed out. "After all I've done! All the pain I've caused! I deserve it!"

His fists trembled as he looked down in shame. The echo of those words and then heavy silence afterward made the atmosphere humid. His dead eyes squeezed out the last of his tears, and they traveled bitterly over the dried blood on his face. An ominous breeze swept over the sands, caressing his festering wounds and crystallizing the tears on his face.

"I'm sorry, Ara…" Chung coughed one last time. "For everything…"

Ara gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as hot tears poured down her trembling cheeks.  
 _Smack!_ The sound of her palm connecting with Chung's cheek resounded around them like thunder. The boy reeled in pain and shock, clutching his cheek as he stared at her with bewildered eyes. Almost immediately afterward, she grabbed Chung by the shoulders and kissed him fiercely on the lips. Ara's heart raced gleefully when she felt his soft lips against hers, even though they tasted like salt and blood.

She slowly broke the kiss, eyeing him with an intense glare afterward. "I'm not hearing _any_ of that today, Chung. This time, _I'll_ protect you," Ara growled. "Stay close."

"O-okay…" was the only thing Chung could say to that.

"Guys!" A voice boomed in their heads. "Guys! It's me, Aren! Can you hear me?"  
"I hear you loud and clear, Aren!" Ara shouted into the sandy air.

"What about Chung?"

"He's here with me! We're safe! Rahaziel is dead!"

Ara heard her brother laugh and cry in pure joy knowing that his sister and Chung were still alive. Bruised and wounded as they were, they were still alive. They still had a chance.

"That's amazing… but I'm seeing a massive army of undead right outside your location! Fast movers!"

"Fast movers?"  
"Wait… They're… They're Fallen Ones!" Aren almost choked. "Ara, Chung, you have to get out of there, now!"

"How? We're surrounded on all sides!" Interjected Chung.

"Damn…" Aren's voice went low on the transmission. "Stay there and defend your position. I need to gather enough mana and spiritual energy to build a path for you in the Spirit World."

"Got it! Chung, stay here! And for the love of God, stay quiet unless it's to warn me of enemies!"

"G-got it…"

"You heard the woman. Get to it!"

* * *

The creatures scrambled toward the ruined Coliseum, piling on top of each other as they collectively scaled the ruined walls. Ara peered down the ledge and saw the horrific brown mass rushing towards her. She raised her spear to the skies, praying that the environment around her would lend her its strength, for she was weary.

They squealed as the flames passed through them, torching their skin from the front and then from behind as the Fox Fire boomeranged back upwards.

Yet they kept climbing, even faster now that they were on fire.  
In fear, Ara decapitated one and watched as its flaming corpse fell off the mound of bodies. Ara kept swinging, beheading any of the Fallen Ones that got close to her. She watched as their flaming bodies all fell from this height, tumbling down the mountain of flesh, skin, and bone.

A look of horror formed on her face when, in the distance, she saw flaming headless bodies making their way back up towards her. But while she was distracted, one of them finally got to the ledge. It lunged at her and its horribly disfigured fingers dug deep into her thigh.  
She shrieked in pain; the Fallen One's claws were like steel laced with the deepest poison. Already she could feel the sickening fire in her leg and the static on her feet. The creature lunged at her again as it sirened a cry of hunger. In a panic, Ara activated her Specter Walk. Shadows engulfed her body as the creature's claws swung at nothing. The creature's skin cracked a little bit as the shadows licked at it like invisible fire. It growled and frantically scanned left and right. For a brief moment, Ara sighed a breath of relief, despite the fact that more creatures had made it onto the arena. But her heart nearly stopped when she saw its infernal eyes lock onto Chung. Once it made eye contact with him, it screeched and went on all fours, preparing to bolt towards its new target.

Immediately Ara showed herself, reappearing at the creature's right flank. Her eyes burned with hatred as she held her weapon in a tight, two-handed grip. As Ara violently swung her spear at the creature, giant black claws appeared a few feet out of the blade's deadly arc, sending the creature and the horde behind it flying back off the ledge.

"Ara!" Chung cried, seeing her wincing at the burning pain in her thigh. The more advanced effects of the poison had begun to take effect, giving Ara a feverish look on her face as she had a coughing fit. Chung tried to limp towards her, but a flare of his own pain stopped him from moving too far.

"Ara!" He called again, this time pointing to the ledge where Rahaziel once sat. "There's tonics up on that ledge! One of them has to stop the poison!"

After letting out a final cough, she turned to him and nodded. Gritting her teeth, she directed her own spiritual energy into her thigh to combat the poison. Then, she sprinted towards the arena tower, barreling forward into an elaborate sequence of cartwheels and flips. Chung watched in awe as the woman scaled up the tower in less than a second.

Quickly, Ara scanned the vials on the small coffee table beside the luxuriously cushioned chair. She cursed under her breath when she found out that they were all alcoholic drinks. Nevertheless, she opened one up and poured it onto her thigh, wincing at the stinging sensation when the alcohol began to cleanse the wound. She then began to ruffle the other small dressers that were there, hoping to find anything medicinal.

In the distance, Chung stood with his back to the wall. He had found his other Silver Shooter in one of the bleachers, and there he kept his aim on the ledge where the first Fallen Ones were coming from.

"Bullet Blitz!" The magical bullet bounced rapidly within the oncoming crowd, slowing their advance. He gritted his teeth when he realized he still didn't have his Destroyer. "Ara! Hurry up!" He cried frantically. He put his fingers into overdrive as he desperately tried to keep the Fallen Ones from swarming him.

Hearing this, Ara scrambled even more frantically, tossing over desks and small stools. Finally, she found a small green vial of antivenom. Nearby was a small needle, and with near godlike dexterity she worked the needle into her hand and placed it in the bottle. She controlled herself as she slowly pulled back the syringe pump, watching anxiously as the tube filled up with the liquid. Finally, she injected herself with the antivenom. Her strength began to return as the medicine began its work.

She looked and saw Chung being overrun by a massive horde of Fallen Ones.

"Araaaaaa!" The Deadly chaser screeched one more time.

"Chung! Hold on!" Ara bolted for the mana potion on the coffee table, unscrewing it and chugging the elixir. Frantically, she tossed the blue vial down, shattering into pieces. In another corner of the room, she noticed a stack of El Shards. She grabbed one of them, a Nature Shard, and crafted it into three El's Essences and shoved two of them in her cloak.

"Chung!" She cried out from the ledge. "I'm jumping down!"

"Hurry!"

Ara leaped from the ledge, putting her legs together while spreading her arms out like a pair of wings. Chung looked up at her as she gracefully fluttered into the fray, reaching his hand out to her. On her last flip, their hands connected. Just as a Fallen One was about to sink his teeth into the boy's neck, she funneled her spiritual energy into his body and gave him the effects of Spectre Walk. As he remained still, veiled by the shadows, the creatures around him began to weaken. Their skin began to crack, and what little muscle they had began to tighten up. With a look from the girl, Chung knew to limp away from the crowd while he was protected. Ara landed on one of the beasts, leaping high into the air once more as it was sent face first into the dirt.

"Falling Dragon!" After a series of elaborate acrobatics to build up momentum, Ara smashed her spear into the ground, quaking it with the wrath of a V-2 Rocket. The explosion phased right through Chung's body, but the hunched creatures were sent flying into the air and off the ledge once more.

Just then, Chung became visible once more. Ara ran to him and embraced him tightly, breathing a sigh of relief and a prayer of thanks that he was still alive. She buried her nose and lips in his ragged hair, kissing him tenderly as she held him in her arms.

"A-Ara…" Chung blushed.

"Here." Ara produced a bottle from her cloak. "A half-empty Vigor Potion I found right next to the chalice. I doubt it'll recover you much at all, but it should get you back up to speed. Here… Drink."

Chung did as he was told, sheepishly grabbing the bottle from her hand. He sipped it lightly as he sat down on one of the bleachers. He let out a slow, soothing breath as the numbing liquid brought new strength to his ragged body. He parted the bottle from his lips and poured some of the liquid onto the wounds on his leg, washing away the charred parts of his wounds. He watched as his dead flesh came alive again as muscle fibers joined back together, closing the old wound and leaving only a scar. Chung continued pouring the potion over his other wounds, but soon the bottle ran empty. The boy desperately shook any drops that the bottle had left, but the potion had been completely used up.

"Thank you…" Chung opened his eyes and smiled brightly at Ara. "My whole body still hurts, but I should be able to move."

 _Growwwwwwl!_

"Just in time…" Chung said as he stood back on his feet. "Aren, how are you doing on the exfil?"

"Two more minutes! Just hold it steady!"

Chung turned to Ara and nodded towards her. She nodded back, smirking as they faced oncoming horde.

Chung and Ara fought with their backs touching each other, rotating frequently as the Fallen Ones began to swarm them from all sides.

"Keep moving! Don't let them touch you!" Shouted Ara as she barely twirled out of a deadly claw. She countered with a two-handed downward swing, barely breaking through the creature's armor-like skin. It froze where it stood for a second, its eyes going hazy as the blade sank into its cranium. Its eyes rekindled with wrath, and the creature gripped the sharp end of Ara's blade without fear.

"Ara! Behind you!" Chung flicked his pistol behind his back and Trick Shot the ground. The bullet hit the floor and then spun like a top, ricocheting two magical bullets that curved around Ara. It hit the Fallen One that was charging at her back. Immediately, Ara removed her spear and turned, swinging her weapon in a wide arc. A trail of shadow claws proceeded from her swing, stopping the leaping creatures in their tracks. Then Ara brought her weapon back, swinging the opposite way. She aimed for the legs, and this time, it worked. The blade cleaved cleanly through the knee-joints, separating calves from the thighs. The creature shrieked as it fell to the ground, no longer able to walk or run.

"Aim for the knees!" Ara called out to Chung.

"Got it!" He did as he was told, no longer aiming for the head as he usually does. Trick Shot helped with his case. It didn't cut off legs like Ara's spear, but hitting the creatures' weak points with a skill that already had built-in slowness essentially froze them in place. An army of leapers began to converge at his back. Low on mana, Chung scrambled for a way out. He noticed a lone sword lying on one of the bleachers. With little options, he scrambled for the blade and made his way towards the frozen horde. Picking up momentum, the boy dropped onto his shins to slide. As he slid, he swung left and right, cutting off the Fallen Ones' weakened legs just as Ara did. He jogged away with a satisfied sigh as he heard them tripping over each other behind him.

"Aren! How much time do we have left?" Bellowed Chung as he put his back to Ara's. An ever-increasing horde was inundating them, including both fully mobile creatures as well as Fallen Ones who were still crawling toward them. Even with their legs chopped off, they still moaned with the same bottomless hunger they had when they had first happened upon this ruined Coliseum in the middle of nowhere.

"Thirty seconds! Hold on!"

"There's too many of them!" Shouted Chung as another massive wave climbed into the arena from the edges. "Rotate! I'll Trick Shot them with what little mana I have, and you cut their legs off and blow them away!"  
"Got it!" Hollered Ara. Chung started first, crossing his arms and pointing his pistols at the ground in opposite directions. He fired two trick shots at the ground. Both of them split into two bullets that disappeared into the oncoming horde. But as they hit their first target, the bullets kept bouncing off and hitting other creatures, causing the two crowds to slow down and trip over each other. "Hit 'em now!"

"Let's go! Eun! Lend me your powers!"

A bright flash covered Ara from view, causing the Fallen Ones to stop and stare for a moment. Chung's heart raced when he saw her in her celestial form again. How her lovely white locks mingled so naturally with her fluffy white tails. The red markings on her cheeks mixed perfectly with her deep ruby eyes, making her look both fierce and beautiful. He blushed and smiled, knowing that someone like her was fighting alongside him.

Ara took an El's Essence and crushed it. "Millenium Fox!"

The sky darkened as yellow thunder quaked the Coliseum, reducing those closest to it to ashes while sending whole herds of Fallen Ones on fire. Since they were so close to each other, the fire quickly spread amongst them.  
Orbs of darkness began exploding amongst the flaming crowds, sending them flying away like dust. The explosions and the thunder subsided, as the sky brightened up again.

"I'm making the path now!" Bellowed Aren in their heads. "Get your heads down!"

"Just in time!" Chung and Ara said in unison as they ducked and covered their ears.

An ear-piercing sonic boom resounded through the area, like the sound of a furious jet plane passing by. A powerful whirlwind blasted straight through the massive horde, sending the Fallen Ones in its path flying way off into the distance.

"Run! Now!" Commanded Aren.  
"Chung, let's go!" Ara beckoned while taking his hand.

Chung nodded and the two ran side by side. They nimbly climbed up the sandstone stairs before performing a graceful leap of faith from the edge.

"Keep going! I created a portal up ahead!" Aren said once the two landed on the sand.

"Thanks, Aren!" Screamed Ara as she broke into a spring with Chung right beside her.

They ran like hell through the infinite desert, not stopping to look back or to even catch a breath. Ara ignored the fire in her legs and the pain in her body. She stopped at nothing to keep her legs moving, even though her body and mind were totally exhausted from using her Hyperactive just moments before. In the distance, entire legions of Fallen could be seen, their silhouettes rising above the sand dunes.

They continued running, the panic on their chests rising as hordes of tan-skinned creatures began to surround them again.

"Ah!" Ara tripped as a Fallen One dove onto her ankle. After the initial pain of twisting her ankle, she felt its disgusting swampy hands grip her. The creature shrieked, gnashing its fangs wildly at her. Another one dove for her other leg, screeching as it whirled its acidic drool everywhere.

"Sharpshooter Syndrome!"

A burning light surrounded Chung and Ara, burning the eyes of the cursed undead. The light faded, revealing Chung standing stoically with his pistol held skyward. After holstering his Silver Shooter, he kicked the two monsters away and put a few Headshots on them. He watched their bodies cautiously, but to his surprise, they did not get back up.

"Come on! We gotta go!"

Chung grunted as he bent down to pick up the fallen spearwoman. With her ankle hurt, Ara could no longer run. Looking around, she also saw that more hordes were headed towards them, crowds coming together to form whole legions of hungry undead. Without wasting any more time, the two hobbled through the dust towards the portal.

Finally, they made it, gasping and heaving for air in front of the portal. It was an arch made of round black stones. The stones were almost glasslike on the surface, resembling obsidian, and they were piled on top of each other to create the portal's arch. Inside the arch was a swirling, white galaxy amidst a sea of light blue stars.

"Aren… Hah… Aren… We made it… We made it…"  
"Y-Yeah…"

"Aren? What's wrong?" Ara sensed the fear in her brother's voice. "We made it… Didn't we?"

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Ara could hear her brother trying to suppress his sobs from the other side.

"Aren! Talk to me!"

"I… My spiritual energy is waning… I used so much of it blasting the Fallen Ones away."

"Uh huh… And?"

"I only have enough energy to transport one of you back…"

Shock and horror hit the two when they heard those words. They looked at each other with wide eyes, their jaws dropping as they processed the full meaning of those words. Ultimately, it meant that one of them would live, and the other would remain.

"A-Ara—"

"Shhhh…" She put a finger to his lips, smiling softly as she did. But behind that smile was a building sense of agony. They had fought so hard and gotten so far only to come to this final test. Then again, this was to be expected. Ara knew the potential consequences of venturing into the Spirit Realm. Her heart began to slow down a little when she made peace with that fact. The fact that coming here was a sacrifice, one way or another.

"Ara please…" Chung begged with tears in his eyes. He clutched her shoulder as he tried to read whatever was going on in that mind of hers.

"Shhh… It's okay…" Ara silenced him again, her voice soft like a mother's whisper. Lifting his chin with her hand, she kissed him again. It was a bittersweet kiss, where sweet love and impending tragedy mingled. Chung returned the favor, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. Feeling his response, Ara cupped his cheeks and kissed him more aggressively, pinning his body to the black stone frame.

"What are you guys doing!? The portal's closing!"

"Goodbye, Chung," Ara sighed when she pulled away. "Thank you… For everything…"

"W-Wait! Ara!"  
"I love you…"

The girl gripped him hard. "Ara! Noooo!"

Chung kicked and screamed as hard as he could, but he couldn't stop Ara from shoving him into the portal. As he was being pulled through, he gazed into her eyes one last time. Ara stood there, eyes faded, shoulders slumped and arm raised in an awkward goodbye. A lone tear emerged out of her red eye, traveling down her face in slow-motion as both of their hearts broke into a million pieces.

"ARAAAAAA!" Chung screamed one more time, but she did not hear him. She disappeared from sight as the portal faded. Then his vision turned white, and the roaring of the Fallen Ones stopped.

* * *

A/N: Finally, I finished this chapter. Sorry, it took so long. Shoutout to justforfum for tearing apart this chapter! Seriously, if he didn't offer feedback, you guys would've gotten a rushed, crappy chapter. As always, favorites and reviews are always appreciated. See you in the next chapter! Bless up, fellas!


	15. Ritual For the Dead

**Chapter 15: Ritual for the Dead**

The chill of the morning caressed the forlorn teal walls of the sacred place, flowing in through the open windows behind the Water Crystal. The winds stroked the long white curtains that had been placed there, billowing out until the wind subsided.

A man dressed in white walked through the halls leading to the Holy Place, a sacred chamber now scarred with ash and blood. Locks of smooth, black hair covered the man's eyes, casting dark shadows over them. White banners with words written in an ancient forgotten script hung over the doorpost that led to the room. They too billowed out once the world outside breathed into the room once more.

The man stopped at the doorposts, waiting until the banners were still again. The heaviness in the air seemed to crush the wind from his lungs, but he took a ragged breath to soothe his beating heart. Even as the tears began to fall and his whole body began to tremble like an earthquake, he remained standing. He had to remain standing.

For the sake of his last and most beloved sibling.

The man gripped the doorpost and took off his sandals. Then, after another deep breath, he entered.

The body lay in the middle of the Spirit Circle, summoned with incantations that had poured from the man's lips just two days before. The body was that of a beautiful young woman who had perfect pale skin, beautiful multi-colored eyes, and long, silky black hair that resembled his own. She lay fully clothed in elaborate battle robes in the middle of the circle, arms at her sides, eyes lifelessly staring at nothing in particular. It was an eerie scene to witness. It was as if that body was no longer Ara Haan, but just a doll; a lifeless doll.

The man's steps were cautious, slowing even more as he neared the body. Once he crossed the elaborate scrawlings that marked the edge of the circle, he knelt. There was still some distance between the man and the woman, but there he stayed, bowed his head, and wept.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

At that same moment, the breath of life entered another body that was in the room. Lying in another circle on the opposite side was the body of a young man who had perfect pale skin, beautiful gold locks, and smooth, baby-blue eyes. As the wind returned to his lungs, color returned to his faded eyes and warmth returned to his tired body. The boy wiggled his fingers and smiled when they worked. A strange joy washed over him as he felt the cold floor beneath him just because it was there.

Just because it was real.

But that feeling of happiness passed by like the morning mist. As the boy's first breaths came and went, he got up and examined the room. He sensed the heaviness in the air and found out exactly what he had woken up to.

A funeral.

A funeral for someone whom, though he had forgotten in these recent weeks, he had held so dearly to his heart.

As he sat up, a wave of past memories slammed him like a freight train. The memories of when they met, the greetings they gave, the warmth they exchanged, the promises they made to one another. Memories of teasing each other when the mood was light. Memories of _being_ teased by a certain elf for being so close together. Memories of carrying each other through the muck and mire of the battlefield, admonishing and encouraging one another when the other was struck by despair. Even…

Even the memory of her warm lips on his cheek that one night. Chung instinctively touched his cheek, feeling the ghost of a kiss that was given more than a year ago, in a murky town miles and miles away.

It hit him all at once, and he sobbed quietly into his hands, gnashing his teeth as his whole being churned in grief within him.

Aren noticed but remained silent, weeping softly with the boy as they both shared in their grief, even at a distance.

It took a while for their tears to exhaust, but once they did, each turned their heads to the other. Their eyes drooped with exhaustion and their desert-like faces were caked over with rivers of dried tears.

Their eyes met, and though each of them was tempted towards hate, they both realized that they both have sinned, and they came to a place of understanding. The wind blew in again, billowing out the curtains and the banners.

The wind died down again. This time, the two trailed their eyes to the reason why all the banners were set up in the first place. Then, their eyes trailed to the open casket that was laid just below where the Water Crystal was placed. The casket was made of hardened, dark-oak wood with an oil finish. The inside was cushioned well with fabrics from Sander, almost like a luxurious white mattress.

"It is a temporary resting place…" Aren said somberly. "I myself will bring her to her proper resting place in our home village Fahrmann… Yes, the one that I myself burned down…"

"…You didn't burn it down."

"I allowed a demon to possess me. And because of that, I've caused so much heartbreak, hurt, and pain. Pain that I can never fully understand. I've wounded her. I've wounded you. I've wounded myself, and so many countless others. _I_ was the cause. _I_ was the start of this whole mess… _I_ am the reason that my one last sister is dead."

Chung was taken aback by Aren's confession, and no words could be found within him in response.

"I am the reason…" Aren wept again.

"And so am I…" Chung finally spoke, his voice coming out heavier than expected. "I was blinded by my rage. Blinded by my definition of justice, which wasn't really justice at all…"

Aren Haan turned to the boy with eyes that bled grief mixed with bewilderment.

"You should know. You were a Sakra Devanam, right?"

Aren felt something skewer his heart again when he heard his old title. A Sakra Devanam was a warrior that delivered the justice and judgement of heaven to all evildoers. It was a highly honored title, believed to be mandated by God himself, much like a prophet or a king. And… he squandered it, becoming instead, a tool of hell.

"My definition of justice…" Chung continued. "Was really just a selfish desire to exact vengeance. That's all it was, and it cost me… everything."

"You… You're just like she described you."

"Hope she went easy," Chung joked to lighten the mood just a little bit. "May I?" Chung gestured towards the body. "Ara sacrificed herself to save me… I want to repay her by being the one to lay her to rest. Will you… Will you allow me that one last privilege?"

Aren thought about it for a moment. Tradition stated that he would be the one to lay his sister to rest. But… This is what Ara would've wanted. To be laid to rest by the one she loved the most.

Aren stretched out his hand and gestured for Chung to come. The boy smiled and bowed his head in gratitude, before getting up from the floor and walking to the circle where Ara lay. But as he reached the edge, Aren put his palm up to stop him.

"Take off your shoes."

Chung did as he was told, removing his iron greaves along with his black socks, tossing them aside as he stepped cautiously into the inside of the Spirit Circle. Slowly he stepped forward, giving a slight nod to Aren as he passed by. Reaching Ara's body, he slowly knelt, resting his knee on the cold floor as he examined her up close. The most beautiful thing about her was her eyes. In that moment of silence, he remembered how both of Ara's eyes used to be amber yellow. One of them turned red when Ara started learning Spectre Magic all those years ago. With a gentle movement, Chung ran his hand over her face to close her eyelids. He looked at her again, admiring the look of perfect peace on her face even after making such a grave sacrifice. He carefully slid his arms under her body, one under her upper back and one under her knees.

After making sure she was secure in his arms, Chung gently lifted her off the cold floor in a princess carry. With the same careful footsteps as before, he advanced towards the open casket. As he laid her body within the soft confines of the coffin, the Water Crystal above them dimmed its brilliance, as if it too mourned the loss of a great soul.

Without further ado, Chung laid her within the coffin, crossing her arms over her chest before covering her torso with fine white cloths. He bent over to kiss her forehead but drew back. He didn't want to defile her with something like that. Chung took one last tearful gaze at her beautiful face, before gripping the lid of the coffin with both hands. He squatted and tightened his knees as he pulled the heavy lid over the body. But as he was about to close the casket, he stopped.

He saw something moving under the covers.


	16. Shakti

"Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

—Dylan Thomas

 **Chapter 16: Shakti**

* * *

With her knees up to her chest, Ara sat with her back against the deactivated blackstone frame. It had been a long, strange night of deafening silence and indescribable loneliness. The shifting sands tickled her thighs as her eyes stared lifelessly into the horizon beyond. The sight was peaceful for the moment. The dry desert winds blew to and fro without a care in the world, taking the sand with them. Ara looked to her left and saw tiny particles of sand avalanching down the hill, feeling a twinge of jealousy that it did not need to suffer as she will. To the south, a blue sun began to rise, illuminating and casting out the dreadful night. Ara marveled at the sight, watching as the shimmering first rays of that mystic star revealed an orchestra of colors that the night had hidden. All of a sudden, Ara was surrounded by galaxial clouds of every color. Some were blue like crystal, others a royal violet, still others a mix of reds, oranges, and other colors she could not name. Looking up, Ara saw a lone comet fluttering through space, gracing her with its beautiful blue contrail before disappearing forever into the fleeting night. A mixture of tranquility, anxiousness, and utter devastation mingled together in the same atmosphere as Ara awaited her fate.

There they were, finally cresting from behind the sand dunes. Large armies of Fallen Ones emerged from the sands, casting long shadows that all pointed towards her. Slowly they marched, feeling no need to leap or even sprint for their meal. Ara didn't bother flinching as the sound of their groans began to reach her, growing louder and louder as they kept on approaching.

 _So… This is the way it ends…_ Ara thought dejectedly.

She buried her face deeper into her knees as despair and agony sank her heart like a great chain. All she wanted to do right now was sleep and never wake up again.

"It seems our contract has come to an end," cut in Eun. The fox manifested itself from Ara's spirit energy, channeling out of the Asura in a stream of white light.

"Of course…" Ara huffed bitterly. "Since I'm no longer of any use to you."

"Child, I did not mean that I will abandon you." Eun sounded hurt by what Ara said.

That caused the girl to emerge from behind her knees, looking up at the Millenium Fox with those near-dead eyes of hers. Even then, those eyes held the tiniest glimmer of hope, like the last flickers of a dying spark.

"...What are you talking about?" Ara gave her a dubious look.

"Come."

Ara didn't know why, but she followed. Getting up from her fetal position, Ara followed that fox as she walked without a care in the world.

"My seal," The fox suddenly stopped in its tracks. "It's been heavily weakened. I haven't felt this kind of freedom in… In millennia."

"How could that be?"  
"Even I am not so sure…" The fox mused. "It must've been your brother."

"Aren?"

"That influx of spiritual energy… I don't believe I've seen such a thing in quite a long time. Whatever he did, that blast had enough El Energy in it to nearly destroy the seal."

Ara closed her eyes and breathed, feeling the seal within her soul. The seal was like a long chain wrapping around an orb multiple times. The chains were rusted and its surface was peppered all over with tiny cracks. Eun was right, the seal is close to breaking.

The woman laughed bitterly to herself. "So close, yet so far…"

Eun tilted her head. "Child, what do you mean?"

"The seal is almost broken… But I've no strength left in me to break it."

"Ara…"

"Look at me…" The woman opened her arms out, showing her many wounds. The fox's eyes grew just a bit dimmer at the sight. "Look inside of me…" Eun did as she was told, closing her eyes and projecting her sight into the depths of Ara's being to search for strength. In this state, the markings on Eun's fur began to grow a bright blue color.

"I have nothing…" Ara croaked.

"...Child, do you want to see them again?" Eun asked. Her voice was booming like the sound of rushing waters, so powerful and commanding that even the Fallen Ones in the distanced stopped in their tracks.

"...You know the answer," Ara replied. "You know I want to see them again. Especially my Prince…"

"Then summon your strength!" Eun admonished, her voice booming all the louder. "You didn't make it this far just to quit now, did you?"

"Eun…"

"Believe!" Eun shouted. "The despair is getting to you, but you must fight it… Fight it!" Ara trembled at the fox spirit's words. But those words brought strength and new life into her body and her soul. Eun smiled proudly when she saw Ara's eyes sharpen into a look of determination. It was a look that the fox had seen countless times before. That expression of fiery defiance that had toppled circumstances so impossibly mountainous.

As power began to build in Ara's chest, Eun could see waves of raw El flowing all throughout her body. The El flowed like the blood in her veins, pumped by her ferocious heart.

Still beating, still standing, still fighting.

Ara closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated her energy. Eun projected her sight into Ara's soul once more, and she saw her standing before the chained orb with her spear in hand.

"Yes… That's it…" Eun smiled wide, her teeth baring in excitement.

A thunderous clang was heard as Ara struck the chains with a heavy, two-handed blow. Cracks rippled all along the chain, sending small pieces of it flying outwards and disintegrating into the void around them. Another thunderous clang resounded after Ara struck the chains from the other side, sending another wave of cracks along the chain. One after another the earth-shattering blows resounded. But as the chain was about to break, Ara withdrew her blade and stopped. Eun's heart dropped at the sight.

"Ara, why did you stop?" Eun asked in surprise.

"Promise me one thing," Ara said, still keeping her back turned on the Fox Spirit as the two stood on the plane of her soul.

"What is it?"

"The seal is one strike away from being broken… But first, I need your word on this. Do you hear me?"

"...I hear you loud and clear, child."

"Promise me that once I break this seal, you won't just leave me here to die."

"Yes, yes, I pro-"

"Give me your word!" Ara cut her off, sensing the fox's half-hearted tone. "Give me your word that you will not abandon me, otherwise I will not break this seal and both of us will be consumed!"

Eun was taken aback by Ara's adamance. She had never been one to make deals with humans where they were on an equal playing field. But time and again Ara had proved herself to be something different. Someone she saw as worthy. Eun felt a twinge of guilt in her own soul when she reflected upon how she had just tried to take advantage of someone so noble and strong like her.

"Forgive me…" the fox began solemnly. "You have my word. I will not abandon you in this plane. My honor and my life will rest upon it."

"...Good."

Finally, the last strike was delivered, and the chain shattered completely into a cloud of neon-blue dust, flying away in the winds of Ara's soul. Eun withdrew her vision, and at the same time Ara opened her eyes with a breath. With a solemn gaze, the woman got up from the sandy hillside and faced the Fox Spirit.

"It is done… The seal is broken."

"Excellent… Now child, let me show you what I can do." All of a sudden, the two were enveloped in a ring of ferocious hellfire, expanding up into the reddening skies. At this point, the Fallen Ones had begun sprinting, now feeling the hunger pangs that only Ara could satisfy. Horrific sizzling sounds could be heard as a horde of Fallen Ones attempted to breach through, but were utterly consumed by the flames. But though the fire raged around them, the eye of the flaming tornado was cool, for Ara and Eun were protected. Ara's silky hair billowed out like a veil as the two stood in the midst of the whirlwind without breaking eye contact.

"I bring you a new contract…" Eun stated with excitement, her voice echoing all around the belly of the storm. "Behold!"

A spinning Spirit Circle billowed out from the center of the eye of the storm. Its markings were inscribed in holy fire, depicting two smaller circles enclosed within the larger circle. The circles were on opposite sides of each other, touching the edge of the larger circle. Connecting the two subcircles were three lines representing a bond in body, mind, and soul. Along the circumference of the larger circle were fiery markings written in an ancient language, one character at every 15 degrees. The Spirit Circle grew larger, enveloping Ara and Eun in its area. It stopped rotating, and Eun stood on one of the smaller circles, while Ara stood on the other. The three lines that connected them instantly grew brighter, turning from fiery red to white-hot blue. The color bled into the rest of the Spirit Circle, overriding its former orange color. The markings on Eun's body also began to glow with the same color. The same happened for Ara, who had involuntarily transformed into her Celestial Fox form. Her eyes, as well as the markings below them, had also begun to radiate a white-hot neon-blue color.

"No longer shall you be my host," boomed Eun. "But from this day on and forevermore you shall be my partner. My equal. Ara Haan, the last and greatest member of the Haan family, do you accept my offer?"

All around them the fire continued to burn as Eun awaited her answer. But not a hair on their heads was singed and the smell of burning could not be found on them.

"I accept," answered Ara with a confident smirk.

"Then, it is done!" Eun boomed one final time. "Come forth from the flames! Show them the power of the first ever fox sage!"

The wall of fire fizzled out from before them, and for the first time in history, the Fallen Ones felt fear. Before the creatures stood one lone figure. The figure donned beautiful, elaborately decorated battle robes. The mixture of white, black, and gold on those robes gave her an aura of power and authority, even here in the Spirit Realm. Her hair was long and flowing with the color of pure white snow. Likewise were the fox ears on her head and the nine tails that swished behind her. In her hands was a long spear with five golden ax blades at the tip, giving it the appearance of a giant mace. Her pupils were blood-red with golden diamonds in the center, her gaze exerting an aura of judgment and controlled fury.

The mystic sun burned brightly behind the figure, allowing her to cast long shadows that pointed directly to them. Then, with just a twitch of her fingers and a whisper from her lips, she called down fire from heaven on them. Dark clouds blotted out the skies as great balls of fire rained down upon the desert, exploding into pillars of flaming dust as they made contact with the sand. Everywhere the screams of the Fallen resounded and the whole horde was thrown into complete disarray. Everywhere they scrambled while the flames licked and burned away their bodies, leaving them a squealing pile of sizzling flesh within mere seconds of contact.

Horde by horde came running at her, only to be burned into oblivion by the fox sage's meteors. Ara stood still as she watched the chaos all around her, smiling comfortably knowing that none of it could harm her. Soon, all the armies of creatures were slain by her heavenly wrath and a great calm swept over the land. Large patches of sizzling glass now dotted the quiet wilderness. Even the deactivated blackstone frame was somewhat melted from the intense heat, but the structure remained intact. Ara reached behind and flipped her long hair, huffing a sigh of relief afterward.

"So, where do we go now… partner?" asked Ara with a renewed tone.

"Where do you think we're going? Back home and to our friends and family," replied Eun in Ara's head with the same excited tone.

"And to my troublesome boyfriend," Ara joked, rolling her eyes.

"Technically not official yet, but I'm hoping! Now, do exactly as I say," Eun instructed. "Sit down."

Ara did as she was told, sitting down in front of the blackstone frame with her legs crossed.

"Take a deep breath, and relax…" Eun's soothing voice came through. "Imagine yourself in the place that you were before you came here. Imagine yourself back there, surrounded by all of your loved ones."

Ara imagined the scene, seeing herself back in the Water Crystal Chamber surrounded by everyone. They were all there surrounding her, looks of pure joy enlightening their faces when they saw that she had returned safely from a treacherous place. She imagined the orange Elrios sun setting below the horizon, painting the Holy Place with beautiful orange and purple light. She felt the wind in her hair, the warmth on their faces and—Ara blushed slightly at the thought—the warmth of Chung's lips against hers.

"Hey, don't lose yourself now!" Eun teased, laughing at the look on her partner's face. Despite having her eyes closed in meditation, Ara sported a dumb grin coupled with a blush on her cheeks. "Now concentrate… Concentrate the El in your body."

The scene changed to something more abstract. Now, Ara was floating in a dark space. Eternal nothingness spanned all around her, save for the balls of gentle light that were floating around her. She reached out and touched one, feeling its warmth envelop her hands. She reached out and touched another, feeling even more warmth as the two balls of light became one. She floated around in the void and gathered up the rest of the lights, ending up with a curtain of light that surrounded her very being.

"Excellent… Now, open your eyes and breathe."

Ara's eyes slowly fluttered open from her vision, and she breathed towards the blackstone frame. Something like bright aquamarine dust poured forth from her lips, floating towards the gate of the portal. She watched as the dust fused with the portal frame. All of a sudden, the light returned to the portal. Ara stared deep into it, seeing the exact same place she had envisioned in her mind.

"You know what to do next…"

"Thank you…" Ara sobbed lightly. "Thank you for everything, Eun…" The girl stepped through the portal, and in an instant, her soul returned to the world that it came from.

* * *

 **A/N:** An update in less than 6 months? This gotta be a fake chapter! Hope you guys enjoy, and shoutout to guys who get that reference.


	17. Just Like Old Times

**Chapter 17: Just Like Old Times**

* * *

Chung would never be able to describe the feeling that surged through him at that moment. As he saw movement under the grave linens, he quickly pushed aside the coffin's door and looked at the figure inside. At the sight, his eyes began to water and his lips began to tremble.

Her eyes were open! Her beautiful eyes were open, staring right at him like captivating, mystic little gems. Chung was paralyzed in utter shock and disbelief. Is she really… Is she really alive? Chung couldn't believe it at first, but a few more seconds staring into her eyes gave him the answer, sparkling and full of life. She was alive! Ara was alive! Against all odds, the girl that saved his life was alive!

"A-Ara…" The boy sniffled. Hearing this, Aren rushed to Chung's side, beholding the girl that was supposed to be dead.

The girl gave them both a cheeky smile, her red and yellow eyes beaming brilliantly with her expression. At that moment, both Chung and Aren felt a heavy weight being lifted from their chests. Something about her expression instantly banished the bloodguilt that weighed upon them.

"Brother…" She said endearingly, looking up at the black-haired man that sported the same amber eyes that she used to have.

"Yeah… I'm here," Aren reassured her. "Welcome back, Ara. I'm so glad you're here."

"Brother…" she continued, with more strength in her voice this time, "I missed you…"

Aren shook his head. "You can call me Aren, you know. You're a big girl now. You've earned it."

Are smiled brightly at him and shifted her gaze to the other boy. She was enamored by how the light shone from behind him as if to give a sort of halo to his golden hair. She met his eyes, her gaze softening as she stared into his. The cute little paw print markings within them still amused her.

"Chung…"

The boy watched in awe as the girl slowly lifted a hand from her coffin, reaching for his cheek and stroking it softly. The boy froze up for a moment and then regained his composure, flashing her a shy, rosy-cheeked smile in response. Ara gently drew her hand away and held both of her arms out.

"Help…" She croaked weakly.

Chung and Aren looked at each other and nodded. Chung took one arm while Aren took the other, slinging her arms over their shoulders. Ara held her breath as the two gently lifted her out of her coffin.

"Come on… You got it…" Chung encouraged her as she rested her butt on the edge of the casket. Ara looked down at the marble floor with a little bit of worry in her chest. Her legs felt wobbly and unstable, but with the help of the two men, she was able to take her first few steps back in the real world. They let go of her, watching her like parents watching a child learn to walk. Ara teetered and tottered about the room, nearly tripping several times. With each step being firmer and more stable than the last, she eventually came full circle. When she did, she spread her arms out and ran full speed towards her brother.

Aren caught her in a warm embrace, joyful tears adorning the corners of their eyes like little gems.

"Aren…" She cried out, burying her face in his chest. "Is it really you?"

"...Yes, Ara. It's really me."

"Is… Is he gone? Is Ran gone?"

"Yes. Ran is gone. Dead."

"Mmm…" Ara nuzzled Aren's chest again, feeling like a protected child in his arms. Chung stood at a distance and smiled at the scene, catching second-hand euphoria for the girl that saved his life, even when he least deserved it.

Ara broke from the hug, giving Aren one last nod. With a sudden movement, she turned around and lunged at Chung, squeezing him hard before he could react.

"Uuuu!" He squeaked, feeling the air being forced out of his lungs. Ara giggled at his reaction and laid her head on his shoulder. Aren gave him a hard look.

"The hell are you doing? Hug her back!" He whispered harshly.

Chung froze up. "O-oh. Right…" When he recovered from his lapse, Chung gently wrapped his arms around Ara's waist and returned the hug. Ara gently purred in response, alleviating his trembling. Chung tightened his grip on her and laid his head on her shoulder. This was kind of strange, he thought. They'd been friends for a long time, yet they've never shared this kind of intimate contact. Chung could get used to it, though. Being there in her arms made him feel so soft and warm and safe.

"I missed you…" She cooed as the two swayed back and forth. Aren decided to leave the two alone, exiting through the low arches that led into the Labyrinth.

"I missed you too…" Chung gently replied. His eyes softened as Ara's warmth enveloped him, making his breathing slower and more relaxed.

"And… I'm sorry. For everything," continued Chung, guilt creeping back into his chest.

Ara didn't answer, and the sudden release of her grip sent chills down Chung's spine. She kept her hands on the guardian's shoulders as she eyed him with a solemn expression.

"I forgive you for what you did, but I'm not sure if everyone else will…" she said gravely. "Perhaps you'll need to come clean in some way. But, whatever you need to do, I'll be right here with you."

Chung looked down and pursed his lips, weighing her words carefully. At this point, Ara began to sniffle quietly. Chung looked back up at her in slight alarm.

"Just, please… Please don't leave again!" Her eyes were glossy from the tears that were forming. Her body trembled as she struggled to maintain her composure.

Chung took a deep breath and steeled himself. "I won't. I promise," he answered resolutely.

Ara leaned against him and squeezed him tightly, crying into his chest.

"I promise," he said again, returning her hug and shedding some tears of his own. "I promise…"

The two held each other there, sharing their warmth as they poured their hearts out to each other. Chung craned his head down and gently nuzzled her hair, inhaling her sweet fragrance. Ara giggled at the contact, enjoying the feeling of his nose and lips tickling the top of her head.

"It feels so good to be back," she sniffled.

"I'll do everything I can. I promise…" Chung whispered in her ear, still holding her close.

Ara grinned widely, accentuated by the dried tears on her face. He sounded like such a grown-up prince. "Are… Are you okay with it?" She asked somewhat shyly, pulling back from their embrace to look at him.

He gave her a questioning glance. "With what?"

"With, you know… During the Spirit Realm…" Ara mumbled as her eyes shifted around nervously. _Damn it! Why am I stuttering now?_ She thought frustratedly.

Chung blushed slightly but quickly regained his composure. "Yeah… I was fine with it. Although, I wish you would've asked permission first!"

"Chung!" Ara hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"Okay, okay!" The boy giggled at Ara's adorable, pouty expression. She wasn't one to take teasing lightly, he supposed. "But seriously… You really caught me off guard there. In a good way."

Ara gave him a somewhat dubious look. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. Didn't think you had it in you. You were the shy, cutesy damsel who tripped every fourth step she took. Who knew?" Chung shrugged with a lightness to his tone, leaning back against a marble pillar. "Who knew that _that_ kind of girl would be the one to steal my first kiss?" Chung let his voice trail off for a bit, taking a breath and gazing into her eyes. "But I'm glad. I'm really glad."

Ara let out a relieved sigh, feeling courage and joy blooming within her chest. "So… you're okay with it? With us being… together?"

 _Oh crap…_ Ara's breath caught in her throat as soon as those words left her mouth. _Did I really just ask that? Did I lay it on too thick?_

The awkward silence hung heavy in the air. The seconds ticked by as slowly as molasses dripping from the edge of a glass, yet at each one, the anxiety within Ara's chest grew.

"...Yes." Chung finally answered. "I would be honored..." Ara hung on his every word as she watched the boy kneel down before her. He gently brought her hand close and planted a kiss on the back of her palm. Tingles shot up Ara's arms at the gesture, and she smiled down at him. A warm breeze slipped through the open window, bringing with them the cool scent of lilacs. As the window curtains settled down, the last rays of the fading July sunset painted the walls around them with a beautiful, orange-purple hue.

 _He… He said yes! He actually said yes!_ Ara inwardly gushed. Her mind whirled with excitement, thawing her nervousness and replacing it with the confidence she had when she first kissed him out of the blue in the Spirit Realm. Now that her feelings were officially out in the open, Ara didn't know what would lay ahead of them. But it didn't really matter to her. From now on, she wanted to live her life in the moment; cherishing each passing second like it was her last. A devilish grin spread across her face as she made her next move, her demeanor changing to a more playful one.

"Huhuhu, that's so unlike you, Chung! Offering yourself to me so easily~" teased Ara as she took his hand in hers. She gently lifted him up, trailing her slender fingers up his arms and shoulders. As he rose, her lusty eyes slowly dragged up from his chest to his chin, then… Her eyelids began to droop as she gazed on his rosy lips. She advanced slowly, teasing him with her every movement, pushing him past the marble pillar towards the wall.

She stared deeply into his innocent eyes. She wanted something. Something he had. Chung knew exactly what it was, gulping when he saw how determined she was to get it from him. His back was against the wall now, yet she insisted in pressing herself against him.

"Don't mind if I do~" Ara whispered seductively, her eyes fixed on his parted mouth.

Chung's breath caught as if a spell had just been cast on him and he couldn't move. With a sudden motion, Ara leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against his. It caught him off guard, and it finally registered in his mind that Ara had just pinned him to the wall and kissed him. He widened his eyes, feeling blood rush to his cheeks as Ara stole away his breath, among other things.

After a few seconds, Ara drew away, beholding the pleasantly bewildered look on her lover's face.

"A-Ara…" Chung stammered. Ara stroked his cheek, earning her a cute flinch that made her heart leap inside her chest. As he was trembling, Ara gazed on the pinkness that colored his soft, pale cheeks, admiring how well it looked on him.

"Was that not enough?" Ara teased with a seductive gaze.

"Th-that's…" Chung struggled for a response. "That was… So sudden…"

"Hm?"

"Y-you did it so suddenly. I-I… I couldn't even… Urgh! I couldn't even prepare myself!" Ara giggled at his stuttering. It's like his cuteness had tripled once she was able to break his princely composure, reducing him into an adorable, blushing, stuttering mess.

"...Fine, I'll give you three seconds to prepare this time."

"Hah… Thanks," Chung sighed in relief. Then the rest of her sentence hit him like a train of flying bricks. "Wait, three seconds!?"

"Time's up~"

"Hua wha!? W-wait- Mmmmnh..!" Ara silenced his protests with another, more ferocious kiss. Chung's cute little eyes began to swirl as Ara forced her tongue through his lips.

"M-mmmm! Mmmnh..!"

Despite Chung's protests, Ara kept a firm grip on him as she joyfully tasted the inside of his mouth. Eventually, the boy gave up, leaning his head back and enjoying her touch, even if it was a bit… unorthodox. Ara gave a small smile when Chung finally surrendered to her, melting in her embrace.

Ara ended the makeout session with a loud smack. A small strand of saliva formed when Ara drew away, connecting their lips until it dissipated into the air. She kept her palm on his warm cheek, giggling softly as she gazed upon his bewildered, breathless expression with satisfaction.

"You look so surprised," said Ara teasingly, after she regained her own breath.

"Y-yeah… That was… A little intense."

Ara laughed softly at his reaction, planting another soft kiss on his lips. "You're so cute, you know that?"

Chung merely pouted, laying his head beneath her chin.

"Ehehe! So soft!~" Ara nuzzled his hair, earning her a cute purr as the two held each other, lost in their own little world.

Suddenly an explosion interrupted the beautiful tableau.

All eyes turned to the source of the explosion, which was a horizontal pillar of dust at the far end of the room. Alarmed screams of small infantry mingled with the incoherent roaring of demons.

Aren returned to the chamber, his eyes wild and his movements frantic. His clothes were singed and dirty, and the spear in his hand donned burn marks and splotches of purple blood.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" he barked frantically at the couple.

"What does it look like?" Ara shot back. "And what's going on?"

"Demons are running rampant! Suit up and get to the frontlines!" After shouting at them, Aren stormed off to help whatever auxiliary forces that were stationed nearby. After he left, Chung and Ara both took a deep breath, then looked at each other with renewed sharpness in their eyes.

"Just like old times?" Ara smiled meekly.

"Y-yeah… Just like old times."

The two broke from their hug, grabbing their weapons and rushing out the door. Ara twirled her spear as she ran into the fray. From behind, Chung admired her movements. Graceful, not too intense, but carried a lethality masked by her elegance. Chung followed her, his pistols and rifle holstered at his back, his Destroyer firmly in his grip. They caught up with Aren and together, the three wreaked havoc amongst the scattered demonic forces.

* * *

 **A\N:** Big shoutout to SilverDragon, Aliniel, and MiraiAkina for helping me out with this chapter! It was a struggle to write, but I got it! Hope you guys enjoy, and as always, a rate and review is appreciated!


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